Smoak and Merlyn
by waragainstreality
Summary: What if Tommy Merlyn had a talk with everyone's favorite IT girl after seeing Oliver and Laurel together? What if he was never in Starling when the Undertaking went down? How does this affect every thing else? AU Canon Divergence after 1x22. Laurel/Tommy, Olicity
1. A New Life

**A New Life**

Tommy wasn't sure how he got to Verdant. If you asked him, he wouldn't be able to tell you. He could remember seeing Laurel and Oliver through the window of her apartment. It hit him like a ton of bricks pushed by a speeding eighteen wheeler. He couldn't be happy for his friend because he felt he had seen it coming since he found out the green-leather-clad secret. Laurel was never going to choose him over Oliver the Hero.

The bartender doesn't bother him as he walks behind the bar and grabs a bottle of whiskey. They're all the people he hired so they recognize his face and that's enough for them. He contemplates venturing out onto the club floor, but he doesn't feel like flirting to bring a girl home for a one-night stand. Laurel ruined him for that.

Instead he ventures back to the basement door and punches in the code. Maybe messing with Oliver's equipment will make him feel better. He doesn't expect to find the lights on because Oliver obviously isn't there. His broken heart is painfully aware of Oliver's exact location.

"Dig? Oliver? I didn't expect you back."

Tommy blinks at the blonde girl, staring at him with her mouth open in an 'O' as she realizes he's not who she thought. She closes her mouth and smiles hesitantly. She stands from her computer chair. "Hi."

"You're her, the IT girl." Tommy squints at her. He can't see what makes her so special that Oliver brought her into this crazy mission.

"Felicity," she supplies, hands clasped together. "And you're Tommy, the best friend."

He nods, watching as she glances around. She shifts nervously, anxiously. Tommy holds out the bottle of whiskey. "Want some?" She bites her lip and shakes her head. "Oh, well, your loss. It's good stuff."

"I prefer wine." Felicity lowers herself back into her chair, perked on the edge instead of relaxing into it.

"Ah, wine. Make Oliver get you the good stuff. He owes you."

Her face lights up with a genuine smile, finally relaxing. "That's what I keep thinking, but its hard to pin him down."

"Tell me about it." Tommy sits in one of the extra chairs. He stares at the amber liquid in the bottle. He's had a handful of sips, but the rest of the liquid now looks disgusting to him. He doesn't want to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He finds himself wanting to confide in this girl he barely knows. "I actually came down here to break a couple of his arrows."

"What did he do this time?"

Tommy laughs. He likes how she's not surprised at all. "He's over there now. At Laurel's. I don't understand! He told me earlier today that I should get back together with her and then he's there _screwing_ her. It's always the same thing: Oliver and Laurel, Laurel and Oliver."

"Gorgeous Laurel..." Felicity mutters, sighing. She reaches out and takes the whiskey from Tommy, taking her own swig.

"She loves him in a way she never loved me." Tommy doesn't try to take the bottle back. Felicity laughs at him, shaking her head.

"They don't even really know each other anymore. I mean, I get it. They've got that high-school sweethearts thing, but I don't understand how they make sense now." She glances at Tommy. "I guess I didn't know them before so it might make sense, but I thought you and Laurel looked good together. And no offense, but I don't get what's so special about her, except that she's got two good-looking millionaires pining after her."

"She's just...Laurel." Tommy smiles as he thinks about her smile and how she lights up a room.

"They're not really in love with each other, you know," Felicity tells him conversationally. She likes the dreamy look in Tommy's eyes as he thinks about Laurel. She wishes someone would look at her like that, like they brought the light into the world. "He's in love with an ideal version of her he created while stuck on the island. And she's in love with her own perception of him, someone broken that she can fix."

"You're something else, Felicity." Tommy stares at the girl, smiling. "But you're right. That's something I'm just starting to figure out. But I can't keep doing this." He runs a hand through his dark hair. "I can't keep going back to her. They keep colliding with each other, and I don't want to be collateral. I can't stick around watching it happen over and over again."

"So don't." Felicity shrugs, swaying in her chair. The whiskey bottle sits untouched on the metal table between them, still more than half full. To her the solution is simple. "No one is making you stay, Tommy. You can hop on the next train and go anywhere. Get some space, clear your head. Who knows, you might start your own life somewhere else. That's what I did."

"You did?" Tommy stares at this girl who he was ready to dismiss hours ago. He's having the first heart to heart he's ever had with someone. He doesn't think he ever had such an honest conversation with Laurel or Oliver.

She sighs, leaning back and surveying him. Finally she sighs, giving in to her internal debate. "I grew up in Vegas with my mom. My dad left when I was seven. By the time I turned sixteen, I'd had enough so I worked my ass off to get my grades up and get into MIT. I haven't looked back since. I built my own life here. I still talk to a couple of old friends, but I'm happy with my life now."

"You work for a murderer," Tommy points out skeptically.

She sighs. "He also saves lives. I signed on to help Walter. He knows I'll leave as soon as he starts killing again." She glances around the basement. "There's just so much good that could be done and he's finally starting to see that."

"You're good for him." Her eyes widen at Tommy's words and he smiles at her, but the smile slips as his mind keeps going back to the thought of leaving. "But you're right. I need to get some space from this city." With newfound determination, he lifts his eyes to hers. "I think I'll go to New York. Merlyn Global has a branch there that Dad said needed some help. Even if it doesn't, I've always liked New York. Thank you, Felicity."

She smiles back at Tommy. "I'm happy to help."

He holds out his hand. "Give me your phone." He bites back a smirk as she reluctantly hands it over, relaxing only when she sees he's just imputing his phone number. He texts himself and hands the phone back to her. "It was great talking to you, Felicity...and I just realized I don't even know your last name."

"Smoak. Felicity Smoak, computer genius extraordinaire."

"Then, until we meet again, Felicity Smoak. I'll keep in touch." He points to the phone and walks away, leaving behind the wise IT girl, the bottle of whiskey, and all the complications of his life in Starling City. He leaves the city that night without a single regret. It's long past time for him to start a new life.


	2. The Undertaking from a World Away

**The Undertaking from a World Away**

"Damn it." Tommy glared at his phone as if the offending piece of plastic could be responsible for the call not going through. He hadn't been in New York for twenty four hours when Moira Queen's press conference hit the east coast. He hadn't stopped trying to get through to Felicity since then. He started alternating between her and Detective Lance after thirty minutes of silence on the other end.

His thumb hovers over Oliver's name, preparing to press it. He doesn't want to, but he vowed not to contact him or Laurel. The only thing that stopped him from deleting their numbers completely was the fear that sometime down the road he would need to call them. Oliver had to be working to stop the Earthquake machine. He had to be.

Tommy had shoved all feelings about his father being the man behind the plan to destroy the Glades deep into a dark corner of his soul. His feelings involving his father were too complicated for him to try to examine now.

He lowered his thumb to press the button, but the phone flared to life in his hands. With a sigh of relief, his answers the phone and lifts it to his ear.

"About time you called, Smoak. What the hell is going on over there?" Tommy resumes pacing his stretch of the park. The two FBI agents who located him fifteen minutes after the press conference aired watch him. He's sure someone's monitoring his calls.

"It's hell on Earth, Tommy, what do you think?" Her voice is breathy and it sounds as if she's running. He can hear angry noises and crashing in the background and he forgets about asking about Laurel and Oliver. He already knows Oliver's probably dressed up in green racing around the city. And Laurel...Laurel's probably at CNRI trying to help as many people as possible.

"Felicity, you need to get out of there."

"I'd love to Tommy, but that's not really an option."

"Don't put yourself in danger because of Oliver."

"I'm not doing this for him, Tommy. Someone needs to help these people." Over the phone he hears angry honking and cursing. "I have to go, Tommy. I'll call you when this is all over. Don't worry. Oliver will take care of Laurel. I have to go. Bye, Tommy."

He lowers the phone and lets loose a string of curses, kicking the ground as he continues to pace. One of the agents approaches, the same look of cool detachment he's had since he met Tommy. "Is something the matter, Mr. Merlyn?"

"I'm sure you heard the call."

The man doesn't deny anything. He glances around at the passing people, mostly unaffected by the news because it's a continent away. "You left people you love there...in danger."

Tommy nods, staring up at the gray, cloudy sky. "I saw my best friend going at it with my ex-girlfriend when I went to try to mend stuff between us. I went to go get wasted, but instead I made a friend. She convinced me it was time to start a new life somewhere else. So I came here to get away from it all." He ran his hands through his hair in agitation. "And now there's nothing I can do to help. Damn it!"

...

Tears stream down Felicity's face as the foundry around her shakes. Chunks of concrete fall from the ceiling and she hears her boys through the comms, racing back to the Glades. She missed a device. She can't believe she didn't plan for this. If she had gone out into the field with Detective Lance, this wouldn't be a problem. Why had she let Oliver convince her otherwise?

Over the comms she hears something about CNRI and she switches back to the cell phone connection to the Detective.

"Detective, did your daughter get out of the Glades?" Her voice shakes, but she swallows hard and blinks back the tears and the fear gnawing at her insides.

"Laurel!" The phone cuts out and Felicity can see him in her mind's eye racing towards his stubborn daughter, along with her hero is green. She wraps her arms around her, shaking far more than she would like. Her whole world is shaking and crumbling around her, literally.

If she had a close relationship with her mother, she would be calling her now. She had a few good friends at MIT but she doesn't want to call them. Everyone she cared about enough to call she could hear from her desk. They were all out there helping people to the best of their ability.

The metal bar from the salmon ladder clatters to the floor and she jumps a good foot out of her chair, fingers digging into the armrest. Tears are pouring down her cheeks as the shaking finally stops. Her computer screens are black and she grabs her phone from the table to bring light to the now-black basement. In a minute, the generator kicks on and everything boots up to showcase the destruction of the city coming in live from several different news helicopters.

"FELICITY!"

With a slightly shaking hand, Felicity unmutes her comms. "I'm here, Oliver."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She glances around her at the destruction. "I can't say the same for the foundry."

"As long as you're okay. Fixing the foundry is easy. It's just a building."

She nods, even though he can't see her.

"The streets are a mess. Diggle's on his way to get you. Don't leave without him."

She takes a deep breath. "Oliver, Detective Lance was on his way to CNRI. We don't know if Laurel got out." If they're sleeping together, he really should know.

"She got out. She's on her way to the hospital, but she's going to be okay."

Felicity nods, reaching for her phone only to pause at its lack of signal. "What about you, Oliver? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Felicity." He pauses. "I can't reach Thea or Tommy."

"Tommy's safe and cell phones are down so I can't locate Thea." Happy to have something to do, Felicity starts typing away, searching for another way to locate Oliver's little sister.

"You've heard from Tommy?"

Felicity doesn't pause in her searches. "Yes. Oliver, I'm having trouble locating anyone in this mess. This would be so much easier if we had our own satellite, not that we actually need a satellite, but in times like this it would be helpful. Although, if this starts to happen on a regular basis, I'll have to seriously consider relocating."

"Felicity, go home. Get some sleep. Nothing else big will be happening tonight."

"Cell service is back!" She quickly grabs the phone, answering without looking at the caller ID as she starts to track Thea's phone. She pins the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she keeps working. "Hello?"

"Felicity?! Thank god! I tried Laurel, but it went straight to voicemail." Tommy sounds weary and anxious.

"Calm down. She's on her way to the hospital, but she's going to be okay." She pulls the phone slightly away from her ear. "Oliver, Thea's phone places her on the very edge of the Glades. It's moving so I think she's okay. If you head straight west, you'll find her."

"Got it."

"Thea was in the Glades?!"

She winces at the alarm in Tommy's voice. "She's fine, Tommy. Everyone is fine."

"I shouldn't have left."

"And what would you have done, Tommy?" She isn't trying to be mean. She's feeling useless too and its frustrating her. "Oliver, she should be right in front of you."

"I see her. How's Tommy? Is he going to Laurel?" Oliver's voice sounds weary. His dot on the screen has stopped moving.

Felicity bites her lip. She doesn't know what to say in response to Oliver's question. From the phone she hears, "I have to return anyway. If my father is really behind this mess, someone is going to have to do something about Merlyn Global. Looks like I couldn't escape my life after all. The company's already being investigated and I'm flying back tonight."

Felicity leans back in her chair, wondering when she became the person everyone confided in and talked to. She stares at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. She hears the door open and Diggle's voice calling her name as the metal stairs clatter under his rushing feet. "I gotta go. Diggle is here. Talk to you tomorrow."

She hangs up on both men, turning to Diggle and plastering a fake smile on her face. He's more beat up than she expected, but he nods to her, letting her know he's okay. She nods back and grips his arm in comfort. Together they walk through the ruins of the foundry. The world may have come crashing down, but everyone is okay and that's what matters.


	3. Brave New World

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story for all your feedback and support. I honestly can say that I hadn't expected it so WOW. I will continue to post as soon as possible. Because it's only me writing and I don't have a beta, these go up almost immediately. As always, I do not own Arrow or any characters and I appreciate any and all feedback. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Brave New World**

Felicity yawns as she leans against the cement pillar next to the baggage claim at the Central City airport. She checks her watch and sighs, wondering why she agreed to this. Right, it was because she was a sucker. If someone said please, she always had to help. It's how she ended up at the airport at six in the morning after working all night.

Her phone started ringing and she sleepily raised it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Felicity! Where are you?"

She frowns at the phone. "Good morning to you too, Oliver. It's been less than four hours since I last saw you. Did you manage to get a decent amount of sleep? Because right now I'm running on two hours and a giant coffee with like seventeen shots of espresso, so if I can manage to be polite right now, you can too."

"Felicity," he grinds out. "Are you in your apartment?"

"No, Mr. I-have-to-know-everyone's-business, I am not in my apartment. I'm at the airport, the Central City airport because last night there was this horrible thing called the Undertaking in Starling so the airport there is closed down. Ergo, I only got two hours of sleep from when you told me to go home where I collapsed on the couch to now, where I'm standing in the baggage claim waiting for a flight to come in. And why the hell is it so important for you to know if I'm in my apartment or not anyway?"

"Felicity, there was a call to the police from a tenant in your building. A group of gangbangers broke in. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

She closes her eyes at the chagrin in his voice even over the phone. "I'm fine. I just need a good night's sleep."

Tommy waves to her from across the room, rolling a single piece of carry on as he approaches, looking far more rested than she does. She smiles at him as he approaches.

"I'm glad you're safe, Felicity."

"Go get some sleep, Oliver." Tommy raises an eyebrow at that statement, but he waits patiently for her to finish.

"Let me know when you get home safe."

She rolls her eyes. "Sleep," she replies before hanging up. She turns to Tommy, awkwardness enveloping her as she realizes she doesn't know how to greet him. They're not technically friends or if they are it's only been for forty eight hours. So more than a handshake maybe, but definitely not a hug.

"Thank you for picking me up, Felicity."

"No problem, but you're driving." She tosses him the keys to her mini and downs the rest of her coffee.

"Are you sure you're okay, Felicity, because, no offense, you look terrible."

She looks down at her clothes. She's wearing old jeans that fit her like a glove and an oversized MIT shirt that falls off one shoulder. She crosses her arms over her chest defensively. "What's that supposed to mean, Merlyn?"

He raises a hand and gestures to her face and arms with a burdened expression. She looks down at her arms, noticing the thousands of cuts that she hurriedly washed before crashing on her couch. She knows her face doesn't look much better, but she'd like to see what he looked like after sitting in the basement through the Undertaking.

"These? It's nothing. They'll heal. Let's go."

Tommy eyes the girl next to him. He sighs. If the city looks as damaged as the girl next to him, it's going to be a long, uphill climb to fix it. He had given the FBI access to anything they wanted and promised to put billions into helping rebuild the city.

"You were in the Glades when the device went off." Tommy stops short. He had spoken to her in the aftermath and he didn't know that information. "Why didn't you say anything when I was on the phone?"

She shrugs and climbs into the passenger seat of the car. "I was fine. It didn't seem important."

"And Oliver didn't let you leave."

Felicity sighs at the disapproval in his tone. "I refused to leave. He tried to send me home, but I stayed. You can't blame Oliver for this one."

"He put you in danger."

"Tommy, I kept myself in danger because I was the only one capable of deactivating the earthquake device and I failed in that. We missed one and now half the Glades are levelled. I should have been the one deactivating them myself. I shouldn't have let Oliver call Detective Lance in to do my job." She runs a hand through her hair, pulling it out of its ponytail to braid it.

Tommy shakes his head. "You're one of the most selfless people I've ever met." He adjusts the seat of the car and pulls out into traffic. "You..." He pauses as he realizes the girl next to him is now asleep, head propped against the door. He snickers and shakes his head. "You're something else, Felicity Smoak. You're something else."

...

She wakes up under a large fluffy comforter in a bed far too comfortable to be her own. She blinks several times and stretches, feeling the glorious relaxation of a decent night's sleep. On the floor she finds the panda flats she had been wearing last night and finally takes in the rest of the room.

The walls are mahogany and the sheets white as snow. It carpet is a deep red reminiscent of wine or blood. She's never been to Queen mansion, but somehow she thinks this isn't it. Oh shoot! Oliver. Throwing back the sheets, she searches desperately for her phone.

"Looking for this?" Tommy holds her phone up from the doorway and she rushes over.

"Oh my god, I promised Oliver-"

"You would let him know when you got home. I know." Tommy smiles wryly. "I had to take it because it kept going off and wouldn't stop. I hope you don't mind. I answered it. He knows you're here and he knows you're safe."

"What time is it?" Felicity stares at the time on her clock. "That can't be right. I have to get to work-"

"Your boss gave you the day off."

Felicity sighs and frowns up at Tommy. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope. Want breakfast? Most of the staff has disappeared, but I do make a mean pancake."

Felicity lets Tommy lead her through the very large, very empty house. As he does, he makes conversation.

"I'm going to sell the place now. Of course it can't be worth much, but I can't live here. I'm going to get an apartment in the city. I'll keep some stuff. Probably put some of it in storage. It's actually kind of liberating having your father be such a f*ck up. It makes me feel better for never living up to his expectations."

"You're taking this really well," Felicity observes as they enter the kitchen.

"That's a recent development. Just because I came back here doesn't mean I can't still build my own life." He sighs. "Five hundred and one people are dead because of my father. I'm going to do my best to make up for that."

"Their deaths are on your father, not you." Felicity smiles and places her hands on her hips. "So when can I get some of those pancakes?"


	4. Back to Normal

**Back to Normal**

"You're not even trying, Smoak!" Tommy shouts, gesturing at the TV with a scowl.

Felicity glares down her glasses at him. "I'm an IT girl, not a gamer. I don't do video games."

"Seriously?" Tommy stares at her incredulously, but the proof is in the record time she lost three lives. She gives him the same look she used to give Oliver whenever he fed her a ridiculous lie. Tommy nods in acknowledgement. "Yeah, but I figured you'd get better after a couple of rounds. If possible, I think you got worse."

"It's not as easy as it looks."

He smirks as she gestures between the screen and her remote. "Sure it is, IT genius. All you have to do is push buttons. It's called button mashing."

"Give me a computer – Hell, give me your phone – and I will hack this xbox and play the perfect game, but I can't use this...contraption." She continues to flail the remote around as Tommy laughs. He pauses as she realizes she's not kidding.

"Wait? You can actually do that."

"That and more."

On the table in front of the couch, Felicity's phone blares. She glares at the Oliver's picture as it lights up her phone. Tommy follows her glance and raises an eyebrow as she turns back to the frozen game of Mario Smash Bros Brawl.

"Let's play another round."

He doesn't say anything, just starts up another game, watching her carefully for her reaction. She bites her lip in concentration as she furiously taps buttons and Tommy slowly turns back and starts playing. The phone rings again. Felicity reaches out and declines the call. A few seconds later, the phone goes off again. She declines a second time and returns her attention to the TV.

Tommy observes, but doesn't say anything. He's not feeling particularly pleased with Oliver right now. Ringing pierces the air again. Felicity reaches for her phone, but the noise is coming from Tommy's pocket. He pauses the game, pulling out his phone and sighing at Oliver's picture. Turning the phone to show her the picture, he frowns at her responding scowl.

"Okay, what happened? You were talking to him at the airport."

"I just don't feel like talking to Oliver at the moment." She resumes the game, impressing Tommy since she can barely play the game. He hits pause again.

"What did he do?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." She hits resume again.

"No. He obviously did something." Tommy hits pause, but this time she doesn't even glance sideways before hitting resume and continuing to hit the buttons with increasing force.

"He transferred a million dollars into my account."

He stops pressing buttons altogether and stares at the blonde next to him, his mouth falling open. "You're pissed at him for paying you?"

"He's not paying me; He's paying me off. There's a huge difference." She jams down on a couple of keys in anger, glaring at the TV.

"So what's he paying you off for?" Tommy has never known Oliver to pay anyone off. And since he came back from the island, he's probably more likely to beat them into submission now.

"For our nightly activities." She winces. "The vigilante work, not like I'm a prostitute or something. You know what I mean. The Undertaking made him realize just how much danger we were in and now he's trying monetary compensation. But I will not. Be. Bought! Ha! Take that Mario!"

Tommy turns away from the very angry blonde, glad he's not Oliver right now.

"I WIN!" Felicity jumps off the couch in surprise joy. Tommy glances in astonishment before turning back and smiling with Felicity. She starts dancing around the room. "In your face! I totally won! Guess I'm not as bad as you thought I was."

He shakes his head but lets her pull him from the couch to join in her victory dance. He laughs at her antics. He's not sure if she's doing this on purpose. The cuts on her arms have faded slightly, most have scabbed over. He doesn't know how she's so carefree after the night she must have had last night in the basement of Verdant.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Tommy stops in his tracks, turning abruptly to face his former best friend in the doorway.

"I see you still haven't learned to knock." Felicity scowls at Oliver. "I'm going to get chips." She brushes past Oliver, who looks up at the ceiling as if praying to a deity.

Tommy raises an amused eyebrow and picks up his beer from the table. "She has a point about the knocking."

"Tommy-"

"No. Don't worry about it. But if you came to talk to Felicity, I don't think she wants to talk to you." He takes another sip.

Oliver runs a hand over his face, irritation and exasperation clear in his features. He glances toward the kitchen as the blonde comes back with the party-sized bag of Sour Cream and Onion chips. Tommy hides a smirk as she royally dismisses Oliver and holds the bag of chips out to Tommy.

"Felicity, can we talk?"

"I'm sorry, Oliver, is there something you wanted to say?" She asks innocently.

"I just realized how dangerous this was."

"So you're paying me off? Really, Oliver? I _chose_ to help you, Oliver. You don't need to pay me for it." She steps forward to poke him in the chest. "So next time you think about just putting a million dollars in my account, you can forget about it. No one pays you to risk your life for strangers so why should you pay me? It's like a hobby. You don't _pay_ someone for their hobbies. You can't just throw money at people, Oliver."

"I know that."

"So then, why the hell is there a million dollars in my account? Because I know I didn't make that much overnight."

"It's a _gift_, Felicity."

"Gift? What the hell kind of gift is that? A gift is a boxset DVD, a bottle of wine, maybe some flowers. Not A MILLION DOLLARS!" She turns back to Tommy. "Tell him."

Tommy glances between the two of them and raises his hands. "I'm not getting involved."

Felicity sticks her tongue out good-heartedly before turning back to Oliver. "Never again. You can take your money back."

"I thought you could use it to replace the computers you lost in the Undertaking. That's why I gave you the money. I know those things are your babies."

She frowns at that point, pursing her lips as she mulls it over. She reaches over and grabs the bag of chips from Tommy. "Fine. You're forgiven." She drops back on the couch. "Merlyn, I challenge you to another round."

Tommy shrugs, grabbing another controller and holding it out to Oliver. He moves over to sit in the middle of the couch with one friend on either side. For a couple of hours they manage to feel normal.

...

Oliver doesn't know what to make of Felicity's and Tommy's new friendship. It borders on flirting the way they nudge and joke with each other. They played Mario Smash Bros Brawl for two hours. He caught on to the controls pretty quickly. He found himself laughing and smiling more than he had in almost six years.

"Tommy, we need to talk." Oliver places his controller on the table, turning to his friend.

Felicity drops her remote on the coffee table. "I'll go make something to eat. I think I saw a couple of boxes of mac and cheese, which apparently rich people eat along with the rest of the world."

The blonde quickly retreats from the room, nodding to Oliver in acknowledgement. His eyes follow her in amazement because he can't figure out how she knows he wants to talk to Tommy alone. Tommy coughs and his eyes trail back to his friend.

"You wanted to talk?"

"About...your father...I had to stop him. And I know he was your father and you think I'm a murderer, but I had to do it-"

"Oliver, I'm trying not to think about the whole thing. My father _murdered_ five hundred and one people in cold blood. And from what Felicity tells me, it could have been so much worse. But I just learned that the two men closest to me in the world are both murderers. That's not something you just easily come to terms with." Tommy glances towards the kitchen, taking a deep breath as he clenches his jaw. He releases the breath as he turns back to Oliver. "But I figure that if someone like Felicity is willing to stand by you when her life is on the line, I should make the effort."

Oliver stares at Tommy, mouth falling open before he clenches his jaw. He nods, barely able to make eye contact because there's one other thing he needs to bring up. As twisted as it seems, he feels more guilty about it than he does about killing Malcolm Merlyn.

"Is that it?" Tommy can see the internal debate in Oliver's eyes and he knows what it's about, but Tommy's not ready to let him off the hook. He's going to let him stew in it for awhile.

"It's...I...I sleptwithLaurel." It comes out in a rush when it finally comes out. Oliver raises his eyes to Tommy's prepared for the anger and betrayal.

Instead Tommy just nods. His eyes finally meet Oliver's again. "So, does this mean you guys are back together?"

Oliver snorts and shakes his head. "No. Not at all. I shouldn't have gone over there, not after I told you to go for it because she's still in love with you, Tommy. You should visit her, Tommy. I understand if you don't forgive me, but you should go see her."

"And you're not still in love with her?"

Oliver shakes his head, staring down at his hands. "I clung to her picture the entire time I was on the island, but five years passed and we're different people now. We want different things. She wants you, and I shouldn't have brought my old feelings into it."

Tommy stares at his friend, shocked by his seriousness, but not by his speech. It was nothing he and Felicity hadn't talked about that night after he saw them. He can't help but ask: "And sleeping with Laurel brought this on?"

Oliver pauses midmotion, working his jaw for a moment. Tommy bites back a smirk as his friend's eyes dart toward the kitchen for a second before he manages to compose himself and come up with an answer.

"I just realized I was stuck in a rut and that I could be a better person. I don't want to be the murder you think I am. I want to be something more, something better."

Tommy nods. "You could do a lot of good."

"Which is what I've been saying since I joined this operation." Felicity smirks at them handing out steaming bowls of mac and cheese before dropping back on to the couch. She leans forward to make eye contact with Oliver. "By the way, I'm totally stealing your best friend."

Tommy laughs and drapes his arm over her shoulder, looking back at Oliver. "Sorry, Oliver. She is the cuter blonde."

Felicity giggles and sticks her tongue out at Oliver. Tommy starts laughing at the look on his friend's face. Oliver is lost. He can't figure out when they met and its throwing him off. Since when have the two of them had such a close dynamic? He still joins in on the joke and the ensuing laughter, but in the back of his mind he wonders what exactly is between his two friends.

* * *

_A/N: I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has followed my story and commented. I didn't expect such a spectacular response so this makes my week. For those of you who are curious, I am going to start moving fast with the pace of the story (probably not jumping directly into season 2 plot, but that will be coming soon. As always, continue to let me know what you think and i do not own Arrow or any characters. _

_Thanks for reading_


	5. All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go

**All Dressed up with Nowhere to Go**

"Why are we helping you set the club again?" Thea questions Tommy, wiping sweat off her brow as she drops onto the last stool that she finally put into place. Roy and Tommy glance at her from behind the bar where they has just finished putting up the neon green sign. Tommy offers her a playful smile.

"Because I asked, Speedy, and I'm your favorite person. Also, Roy technically still works here." Tommy hops down from the bar. "But it looks like we should be able to reopen as planned tomorrow."

"Remind me again why you're back to running Oliver's club and not working in business?"

"I happen to enjoy running this club, Speedy. And I bought it from Oliver, so it's actually mine and not Oliver's anymore." Tommy just lets Oliver and his gang use the basement, but he's not about to announce that to Thea and her boyfriend. Or at least, the basement is being set up for him to use. In the past month, Oliver has stopped his hero game. Tommy's not sure what's going on, but Oliver claimed it was to keep his promise to Tommy not to kill anymore.

"Fine. But why not ask your new best friend, Felicity Smoak?" Thea smirks as Tommy's face turns a slight pink.

"Ask me what?" Thea nearly falls off her stool as Felicity comes up behind her. She younger girl spun around to face the perky blonde. Instead of her usual colorful dresses, the IT girl is wearing ripped up, skinny jeans and worn t-shit. Her colorful quirkiness is maintained with the bright pink bandana in her hair.

"When did you get here?" Roy frowns at her as he pulls back on his signature red hoodie.

Thea shoots him a look before returning to Felicity. "I was just saying that Tommy should have invited you to set up the club with us, but it looks like he did and you just showed up late." She frowns at the dirt and dust on the IT girl, but doesn't mention it.

"I've actually been working in the back, setting up the wi-fi system...again." She offers a bright smile. "I was crawling around in some dark corners, so that would be why you didn't see me. So are you guys going to join us for movie night?"

Thea frowns. "Movie night?"

"You didn't ask them yet?" Felicity shakes her head at Tommy before turning back to the teenager. "Tommy told me he was going to miss you while you were at school so I suggested a movie night and he figured you and Roy would already have plans and didn't want to ruin them so he wanted invite the two of you but not be a third wheel so he turned it into this whole thing and he hasn't even asked you yet and now I'm rambling so I'm just going to stop. In 3...2...1..."

Tommy laughs and throws his arms around Felicity's shoulders, pulling her against his side. "What Felicity is trying to say is do you and Roy want to join us for a movie night? Dinner's on me. We'll stop for Chinese food on the way."

"Like a double date?" Thea asks with a raised eyebrow, noting the closeness of the couple. She looks innocently up Tommy. "That sounds like a double date, right Roy?"

"Sounds like a date to me."

"Oh, what? Me and Tommy? No...no no no no no. No. Tommy and I are not dating. We're just friends." Felicity moves to pull away, but Tommy holds her in place.

"I don't know, Lissy. We do make the perfect team."

"Thomas Merlyn, if you kiss me again, I swear to God I will kick your ass." Felicity punched him in the chest and he laughed.

Roy and Thea stare in shock at the revelation.

"I thought we agreed never to mention that again."

"You started it!"

"No. You're the one who brought it up. I just said we make the perfect team. I never hinted at anything." Tommy smirks down at the blonde who elbows him in the ribs. She sticks her tongue out at him.

"We asked Digg," she responds, turning to the younger couple, "but he had a date tonight. So movie night that's not a double-date?"

Thea glances at Roy and they both turn back with a nod. "Movie night, but we're getting Big Belly Burger," Thea stipulates with a smile, grabbing her purse. "Let's go."

...

_Ding dong. _

Frowning over the large bowl of popcorn in her lap, Felicity glances sideways at Tommy. "Did you invite someone else?"

He shakes his head, pausing the movie in the middle of the scene, leaving them staring Inigo Montoya mid-speech. Thea groans at him, throwing popcorn in his general direction.

"Boo! Why did you stop it?"

_Ding dong._

"I'm going to answer the door."

Felicity pops up, removing her feet from Tommy's lap. "Don't worry. I'll get it."

She passes him the bowl and Tommy takes it without hesitation. "If its anyone in a suit, tell them I'm not home."

Felicity snorts as she reaches out and swings one of the impressive double doors open. Her hand freezes on the door as her eyes land on Laurel, leaning on her crutches. Laurel frowns at her, confusion clouding her eyes. Felicity summons a smile, feeling insecure in her beat up clothes as she takes in Laurel's meticulous outfit: a blue blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt. Even with her large black, Velcro cast, Laurel looks composed and elegant.

"Laurel, hi."

"Hi...you're Oliver's friend, right?" Felicity nods under Laurel's disconcerting gaze, obviously trying to connect the dots.

"Felicity."

"Right, Felicity." Laurel purses her lips and looks past her, into the dark house. "I'm here to talk to Tommy." She pushes past Felicity even on her crutches. Felicity barely moves her foot before the crutch comes down on it. Scowling, she moves to slam the door only to have it stopped by another hand. Oliver grins down at her.

"More late night video games? I hope after a month, you're finally winning some."

Felicity steps to the side, gesturing him into the house. "Well, now that I have nothing else to occupy my nights, so Tommy's really just being a good friend."

Oliver walks with her down the hall. "Thea told me you were having a movie night, but not a double-date."

Felicity snorts, shaking her head. "Yup. Movie night. We're in the middle of _The Princess Bride_." She raises her voice as she walks into the room. "I found two newcomers."

Laurel frowns at her as is she still hasn't figured out what the blonde is doing surrounded by these people that she knows. She's standing in front of Tommy, not looking comfortable with their audience.

"Can we talk Tommy? In private." She glances around the room, frowning at each member of their gathered onlookers.

Felicity falls back into the couch, landing closer to Tommy's side than she intends to. He easily hands back the giant bowl of popcorn. Tommy contemplates Laurel for a moment, unsure how he wants to handle this.

"Hey, Ollie." Thea looks up from the loveseat, where Roy is not conspicuously keeping his distance from her under Oliver's scrutiny. "What are you doing here?"

"Laurel asked if I could give her a ride." He shrugs, then nods tersely at the boy in the red hoodie. "Roy."

"Why don't you guys join us for the rest of the movie?" Tommy offers, gesturing to the screen. "We're almost done as you can see."

Laurel scowls, but Felicity pats the couch next to her. "There's room on the couch."

"It might be tight, but I think we can fit all four of us." Tommy moves into the arm of the couch, pulling Felicity along with him. Laurel has no choice but to lower herself into the middle of the couch as Oliver sits on her other side.

"Popcorn?" Laurel scowls at the bowl, slick with butter, but Oliver reaches past her to get a handful. Laurel spares Felicity a glare and a sneer. The blonde shrugs in response and reclaims her bowl, sharing with Tommy as the rest of the movie plays.

The moment the credits roll, Laurel propels herself to her feet, hopping for the moment she struggles to find her balance on one leg. Oliver reaches up to help her, but she flinches away from his grasp. "Tommy? Can we talk now?"

Without giving him a chance to respond, Laurel disappears down the hallway. He sighs and climbs from the couch, displacing Felicity slightly. He raises his eyebrows. "I guess I gotta go. Why don't you guys pick the next movie. I'll be right back."

Thea jumps to her feet and moves to the wall of DVDs with practiced ease, quickly sifting through the titles. Roy joins her and Felicity crosses her legs as she rests on the couch, holding the bowl out to Oliver again. He takes some more popcorn, glancing fondly down at his IT girl.

"Do you care what movie?" Thea calls over her shoulder.

"Just not a horror movie." Felicity responds, licking the butter off her fingertips. "Something happy is good."

Oliver shrugs. "What she said."

Thea snorts, but nudges Roy.

"So, you and Laurel?" Felicity asks, glancing sideways at Oliver with a little smirk.

Oliver shifts slightly. "We're not a thing. I was just being a good friend."

Felicity nods sagely, popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth with a smirk. "So you've been spending your nights with Tommy?" He winces at the words, but Felicity just starts giggling. "You know what I mean."

She shakes her head at his sexual innuendo, but sobers up to whisper: "But, in case you're wondering, the basement is finished. I connected the last wires tonight and trust me, I was crawling around on the floor for most of the night."

"Felicity," Oliver's hand rests on her leg, cutting off her ramble pre-emptively. "We've been through this: I'm not going back to that. I promised Tommy no more killing, and-"

"You can be the Hood without killing. You've done it, Oliver."

He smiles softly and squeezes her knee. "But isn't it better to just remove temptation all-together." He can see what she thinks about that in the scowl on her face, but he just smiles and turns back to the TV.

...

"Tommy, I've been thinking-"

"What do you think you're doing Laurel?" Tommy asks, crossing his arms over his chest as she leans back onto a stool in the kitchen. "You come over to my house and interrupt our movie night, then you demand to see me. Why?"

"When you came to see me in the hospital, you said you just needed a little space. I didn't realize that meant you were dating Oliver's...employee." Laurel sneers at the word.

"First of all, her name's Felicity, and she's my friend. She's been there for me for the past month and we're not dating. So that's what this is about? You're jealous of Felicity?"

"Well, what am I supposed to think? You spend all your spare time with her. You're always talking to her. Did that speech you gave me mean anything? You want to know why I'm here? I'm here because I wanted to do something with you. Watch a movie or go out to dinner, I don't care, but I wanted to do it with _you_." Tears creep into Laurel's eyes. Her hand reaches out for Tommy's.

Emotions tear at his insides, torn between the girl he's still in love with and his anger at her reactions. He pulls his hand back from her reach, stepping back. "I also told you I needed some time. I can't just jump back into a relationship with you Laurel. I need to figure out who I am, what I want. And I do want you back in my life, Laurel, but if you're going to be jealous, I can't do this."

Laurel watches him walk away, lost and confused, tears pooling in her eyes as she stares at Tommy's retreating back. She hears him greet everyone else in the living room, but he heart is breaking. After sleeping with Oliver again, she finally realized it was Tommy she wanted, but he distanced himself leaving him close enough to touch yet too far away at the same time. She stays in the kitchen, swiping at her tears for a moment but then she shoves them back and limps her way back into the living room, this time squeezing between Felicity and Tommy as the next movie starts to roll. Neither girl is really comfortable squished together on the couch and the whole evening gains a thick tension as they fidget to keep from touching too closely.

No one breaks the tense silence, unsure what to say or do to ease the tension, until Tommy makes a joke and gets popcorn thrown at him from every corner of the room for his efforts. Everyone visually relaxes and by the end of the movie, Felicity is sound asleep with Oliver's arm as her pillow.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you liked the latest chapter (even with its awkward ending). From here on out, I plan to post two chapters a week: One on Monday and the other on Thursday. I will definitely be working through season 2, from a Tommy or Felicity POV, and there will be changes because Tommy's alive, obviously. Also, a huge THANK YOU to everyone sending me feedback! You guys are awesome! _

_As always, I do not own Arrow or the characters and I appreciate all feedback!_


	6. Girl Talk

**Girl Talk**

"So which one are you sleeping with, Oliver or Tommy?"

Felicity freezes at the words behind, hand already on the black exit of Verdant. The music pulses all around her so she can barely hear Thea's words over the pounding bass. She turns on her heel, frowning at the girl. "Excuse me?"

The younger crosses her arms over her chest, her blue sequined dress catching the light. She advances on the IT girl. Felicity shifts uncomfortably under her scrutiny. She had been downstairs creating the new software systems. She was building them from the ground up. Then she had to test the systems to make sure they worked without bugs. It wouldn't do if her programs failed when the Hood needed them.

"Are you with Tommy or Oliver" Because, honestly, I can't figure it out. You spend more time with Tommy, but you and Ollie are way more intimate with the constant touching thing."

"I'm not sleeping with either of them!" Felicity pulls a face.

"But you and Tommy kissed: you admitted that on our movie night. So you were attracted to him."

Felicity's cheeks turn bright pink as her mouth flaps open and shut. "Well, yes, but it wasn't anything special. I mean, it was nice, but not like fireworks going off. You know?"

Thea nods, narrowing her eyes at the older girl. "What about my brother?"

"Oliver and I are friends."

"But you and Tommy are friends and you are practically inseparable some days, but you and Ollie barely hang out."

"He's busy running Queen Consolidated. It takes up a lot of his time."

"So you two spent a lot of time together before he became CEO?"

Felicity nods with a polite smile, eyes darting around for an escape.

"So how did you meet?"

"He was looking for computer help. You know, five years on an island makes you incompetent around technology." She laughs nervously.

"Did you sleep with him then?"

"What? No."

"Why not? Don't you think he's attractive?"

Felicity sputters. "Yes. I mean, he's good looking, obviously. And him without a shirt is like God's gift to humanity, but wait? Why are we talking about this?"

"You've seen him shirtless?"

Felicity's mouth claps shut. She's not going near that question with a ten foot pole. "How did you get into this club? You're still underage, right?"

Thea waves it off. "I'm a Queen. Getting in is easy, but you didn't answer the question: have you seen my brother shirtless?"

She shrugs noncommittally, thinking of all the times he's worked out in the foundry. "Once or twice, but it was nothing really." She glances at her watch. "Shouldn't you be going home?"

"He doesn't let anyone see him shirtless since the island. I saw once, but he covered it up quickly." Thea steps closer to the blonde, frowning at the inconsistency. "He must really trust you."

Felicity smiles weakly. "I guess so."

"So what kind of situation were you in with my brother that he ended up shirtless?"

"Umm..."

"We were swimming in Tommy's pool." Oliver's hand lands on his sister's shoulder and she jumps. He glances at Felicity and she offers him a weak smile while eyeing his sister warily.

"Swimming? Really, Ollie? You're a terrible liar." Thea's triumphant smile latches on to her brother, eyes darting sideways to Felicity. "At least now I know who she's sleeping with."

"We're not sleeping together. At all. Like, never. Uh-uh." Felicity adamantly shakes her head, gesturing with her hands. "Nope." Oliver gives her a sardonic glance, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"We're just friends, Speedy." He gives her shoulder an extra squeeze. "Now why don't you let Mr. Diggle drive you home?" His voice brooks no room for disagreement. "I need to have a word with Felicity."

Thea glances between the two, frowning. "Suuure."

She pauses before entering the mass of clubbers to talk to Tommy. "Good luck being the third wheel."

Tommy frowns after her as he wanders over to his best friends. "What was that about?" He points over his shoulder at Thea's retreating back.

Felicity grimaces. "She thinks I'm sleeping with Oliver. Well, she was really just curious about which of you I was sleeping with. I managed to convince her it wasn't Tommy, but then I mentioned Oliver shirtless and I really didn't have an explanation for that one, so she latched on to it and kept asking me questions and I'm going to stop talking...now."

Oliver and Tommy stare at her with wide eyes for a beat before Tommy doubles over laughing. "That is just too good."

Oliver and Felicity both fix Tommy with annoyed expressions and he can't help the laugh that bubbles up again. Tears well up on the edges of his eyes from laughing and he forces himself to take deep breaths and calm down. He continues to chuckle as his friends face him.

"Although, you have to admit, someone was going to come to that conclusion." Tommy's grin widens as Oliver unconsciously shifts closer to Felicity. His hand lingers near the small of her back protectively.

Felicity sighs. "I just didn't expect to be cornered here and asked about it." She glances sideways. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

Oliver smiles back. "No problem. What were you doing here? You're not exactly dressed for a club?"

She tilted her head at him, eyes darting to the keypad guarded door a couple feet away. He frowns in response, and Tommy watches the interaction with fascination. He made Felicity promise to tell him whenever she was working down there so he could make sure she took breaks or got fed. She's been spending a good portion of her free time there. She tried to explain what she was doing, but he had zoned out after a couple words. All he really knows is she's excited about this project.

"So, does this mean you want to go downstairs?" Felicity bites her bottom lip as she waits for an answer.

His gaze lingers on the door and Tommy wonders if he's going to give in this time. It's clear to him that both his friends want to go downstairs to step back into the world of men in green leather running through the streets shooting arrows. He also knows that Felicity isn't going to push Oliver to do this. She wants him to make the choice.

"I just came here to hang out with Tommy." He grins at her, but this time it doesn't reach his eyes. "That's it."

Her returning smile is sad. "Okay. Well, when you're ready..." She takes a deep breath. "Have fun boys!" She turns and makes her way out the door without a backward glance.

As the door closes, Tommy punches Oliver in the arm, earning a sour look from his friend.

"What was that for?" Oliver doesn't bother rubbing his arm because it didn't hurt.

"For...everything. For not going downstairs, because you clearly want to. For letting your sister corner Felicity, because that was just bad news. For being a horrible liar. We both know that Thea still thinks the two of you are sleeping together."

Oliver shakes his head, turning back to the club, and, Tommy notices, putting his back to the door with the keypad. "Please, Tommy, I can't control Thea. And we both know why I'm not going down there."

"Because you don't want to kill anymore." He crosses his arms over his chest. "That's what I don't understand, Oliver. You've been the Hood without killing anyone. You only killed my father because you had to. You can easily become the hero this city needs."

"This city has heroes enough without someone in a mask. There are other ways I can help." Oliver pushes past Tommy to the rest of the club, but not fitting in like he did in the past.

Tommy rolls his eyes. One of these days Oliver was going to get a rude awakening and he just hoped no one had to die before that happened.


	7. City of Heroes

_A/N: We are now moving into season 2 territory. To keep things simple, each chapter will coincide with one episode of Arrow, unless otherwise stated. As a result, these chapters are apparently going to be longer. I did a lot of new stuff with this chapter so please PLEASE let me know what you think! _

_As always, I do not own Arrow or any characters OR any dialogue you might recognize and I would love to hear any feedback at all. ENJOY! _

**City of Heroes**

"Why do you even bother? Oliver hasn't been down here since the Undertaking."

Felicity shoots a glare at Tommy over her shoulder, dragging her eyes from the computer screen. He reclines in another chair, feet resting on the table holding Oliver's arrows, ready for whenever he returns. He's starting to doubt Oliver will ever come to his senses, about anything. Twirling an arrow in his hand, he smirks at his counterpart.

"Has Oliver even said anything to you about this?"

Felicity pauses, fingers poised over the keyboard. "Not exactly."

"Meaning not at all."

"Look, these hood copycat guys are bad news." Felicity scowls at her screen and then slumps back in a sigh. "Except I only know what the police know and that's not much."

Tommy's feet land on the floor with a dull thud. "Well, Oliver's not even in the country, so there's not much we can do. Unless you think one of us can wear his costume and go around shooting people with arrows."

Her chair spins all the way around as she surveys him over her glasses, considering him for a moment. "Sorry, I don't think you could pull it off."

"Hey! I look better in green than Oliver does!"

"You couldn't pull off green leather tights. And, no offense, but you really don't have the muscle."

"Not going to argue with you there." Tommy sighs, dropping the arrow onto the metal table.

"But, you're better company than Sir Broods-a-lot." Felicity slips her feet back into her panda flats. She stands, stretching towards the ceiling to remove kinks in her back. "Especially since he keeps calling me up to his office to help with this and that. He should really just get a competent assistant. Or he could just figure it out on his own. How many computer issues can one man have? Not that his assistant is any better. She's had four viruses in the past 3 months. I swear if she gets another one, I'm going to take those computers away for their own good."

"Come on! It can't be that bad. I like Maggie. She's a sweetheart." Tommy trails behind Felicity as she shuts off the lights and starts up the stairs.

"You like her because she's pretty and that's the reason she hasn't been fired yet." She huffs angrily. "The woman is incompetent! She erased Oliver's presentation the other day and he had to call me in to rescue it. I'm sure she can answer phones and get coffee just fine, but that's about all."

"Felicity Smoak! It actually sounds like you really don't like Maggie! Where did this come from?" Tommy pulls her back from exiting Verdant, guiding her to a bar stool as he goes behind the counter to pull out one of the bottles of wine he keeps stocked for when Felicity has bad days. She accepts the glass gratefully.

"Sorry. She was nice to me the first couple times I came to work on the computers up there, but then she started getting snooty and I sort of looked into her." She takes a sip of wine as Tommy's eyes widen in surprise. "And there's something going on there. She looks clean, but she's definitely doing something fishy on those computers. Like its too clean, you know?"

Tommy smirks at her. "So you looked into her because she doesn't like you?" He watches in amusement as Felicity searches for a more concrete reason. She seems to grab on to a couple of ideas, but drops them before speaking out loud.

"It's just that there's something off! Okay?! I don't know how to explain it. From all her references you'd think she'd be a much better secretary, but she's horrible. I can't even begin to figure out how she got the job in the first place. I mean, maybe Oliver slept with her and that's how she got the job, but it's like...I've seen her use shortcuts on her computer like a pro but she somehow still gets stupid viruses and deletes things she didn't intend to? Something's up with her and I still haven't figured it out."

She frowns at her glass of wine intently. Tommy figures she's imagining the face of a rather attractive brunette with some apparently mysterious qualities. He lets her stew in it for a moment before voicing his thoughts. "Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

"Jealous? Of what? The evil secretary? Why?" Her nose gets scrunched up in confusion and Tommy shakes his head.

Why does he even bother? "Well, she's been spending a lot of time with Oliver, Felicity?"

"So?"

"So, are you jealous he's giving her more attention-"

"God no!" Felicity starts adamantly shaking her head. "Why would I care? We're friends and I worry about him. He doesn't exactly make the best decisions, but I'm not _jealous_. Sure, I'm attracted to him, but he's hot. What girl wouldn't be? And besides, it's not like I have anything to be jealous of. I'm sure she doesn't get to see him shirtless on the salmon ladder and you're going to forget I just said that."

Tommy laughs, head thrown back as Felicity pushes her now empty third glass of wine away from her.

"I think that means I should stop drinking."

"If it makes you feel any better, Felicity, I think you're the only one who gets that pleasure. I went down there to talk to him once and he definitely had a shirt on." Tommy's almost positive that the whole shirtless thing is only for when Felicity is working down there. He doesn't have any definitive proof, but he hasn't had the time to design a social experiment yet, what with Oliver retiring the hood at the moment.

Felicity rolls her eyes and stands. "Well, unlike you I have to get to work at nine in the morning so I should head home." The world around her seems unstable, not enough that she needs to hold the bar for support but enough that she knows it would be a bad idea to drive. Tommy obviously has the same idea because he reaches over and takes her car keys from her purse.

"Come on. You can crash at my place."

"Mr. Merlyn, are you taking me home with you? That almost sounds like you're trying to get in my pants and if you think I'm that easy, you've got another thing coming."

Tommy laughs as he ushers her out the back door. "If I wanted to, I would have charmed you into my bed months ago."

Felicity gives a decidedly unladylike snort in response. "Ha! No one ever tries to charm me into bed."

"Well, not anymore. You've got a six-foot two overprotective boss that glares away any man who tries to come near you."

"That's not true!" Felicity protests as she slides into the passenger seat and fumbles with the seat belt. "He's only done that a couple of times and those guys looked like complete creeps so its okay."

Tommy shakes his head. "What about that guy from the coffee shop?"

A couple weeks ago, one of the regulars in her favorite coffee shop, Marcus, had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her out on a date. They had talked a couple of times in the store when they were each getting their cups of coffee. He was a nice guy: ex-military, avid bibliophile. The first date had gone well and they had made plans for a second one and then a third and so on. She had even met his son (his wife lost her fight with cancer a year ago). By all accounts it was going well, or it had been until Oliver met him when she brought him to the club to meet Tommy.

She winces at the memory. "Yeah, well, Oliver has a bit of an abrasive personality." That didn't quite cover the fact that he had interrogated her date for the better part of an hour while giving him the patented Hood death glare. "And I yelled at him afterwards."

"Have you heard from him since then?"

Felicity sighs, nodding. "We have a coffee date tomorrow around three." She yawns, sinking down into the seat, eyes slipping closed. "This time without nosy Oliver."

Tommy glances over at her drifting off to sleep as he parks the car in the parking garage next to his apartment. He really hopes it works out with this guy, but if he had to face down Oliver, he wasn't sure how he would react. Although, he can't help thinking she's too good for either of them.

...

"What do you mean she didn't show up?" Felicity whisper yells at Oliver as she follows him into his office, past the empty secretary desk in question.

He shrugs. "No one's heard from her in a couple days. And I have a meeting in thirty minutes and I can't get to any of her files."

"Really, Oliver? You need a new assistant." Felicity takes over the desk, clicking away at the keyboard with hard-won ease. "Seriously, this one is awful. _I_ could do a better job. Not that I'm offering. I would rather be shot full of arrows, thank you very much."

Her fingers pause on the keyboard as she takes in the mess of code on the screen before her. Shit. She knew Maggie was hiding something, but she never dreamed it was a degree in computer science. What the hell?

Oliver shifts uneasily, sensing her change in mood as her focus zeroes in on the machine in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"Oliver, your assistant is some sort of corporate spy. There's a backdoor program that lets an outside source into the QC mainframe. That bitch! I set up this system!" She lapses into silence as her fingers fly over the keys. "I can't track it back to the source, but Oliver, whoever she works for, she's been funneling money out of your Rebuild the Glades project. And I mean by the millions. It's going to take time to trace that money."

"Shit." Oliver turns away from her to look at Diggle. "She's the one who set up the meeting today with Stellamoor. Is there even a file?"

Felicity pulls her eyes from the mess of numbers on the screen to look for the file. She shakes her head. "Nope. When's the meeting?"

"Twenty five minutes. With the head of Stellamoor and the Board of Directors." He starts pacing, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine. I'll pull together what I can, but only this once." She shoots him a meaningful look over her glasses and watches as he relaxes slightly. "And then I'm going to fix the security on our computers because frankly it's appalling this could happen."

...

Twenty minutes later, Felicity drops everything she could find in the limited time she had on Oliver's desk and walks back out without a word to work on the exposed holes in their security systems. She knew they shouldn't trust that woman.

"Ahem." Her eyes dart up to a poised Russian woman Felicity recognizes from her research as the head of Stellamoor. The woman smiles condescendingly. Not a single hair is out of place and her black dress is wrinkle free. "I have an appointment with Mr. Queen."

Felicity can't figure out why this woman is talking to her. It takes her a moment before the thought hits her like a ton of bricks. "Oh! You think I'm his secretary. No. I actually work in IT, Ms. Rochev, but you can head right into the conference room. Ol- Mr. Queen is expecting you."

The woman's stone expression doesn't reveal anything except a faint displeasure and condensation as she breezes into the conference room. Felicity sees Oliver meet her there with a professional smile and handshake, folder clasped in his opposite hand. She sees Oliver tense up at one of her comment, although she doesn't know if anyone else can see the slight shift in his smile.

He glances back at her and Digg and she swears it's a plea for help. Digg shrugs in response to her questioning look. Felicity sighs and pushes away from the computer. Why is it she feels the need to help Oliver out of every hot spot he gets himself into? At least she wore a professional dress and heels today in anticipation for meeting Marcus later. She had been tempted to wear her panda flats again and that would make this whole thing a disaster.

_Oliver so owes me for this_. Felicity wanders into the little kitchen down the hall, grabbing the brewed pot of coffee and placing it on a rolling cart along with a basket of mini muffins with a thank you card from someone named Rhonda. It's not the best, but really, he's lucky she's doing anything to help at all. He's lucky she would do anything to help a friend.

She rolls the cart into the conference room behind a couple of the board members, parking it in the corner. Isabel Rochev simply stares at her blankly, but her face still harbors judgment. Felicity calls it resting bitch face. The research she collected this morning indicated the woman has no other emotion. Oliver is busy mingling with the various members of his board, but he mouths a thank you at her, before she ducks out of the room.

"Wait! Miss! Can I get some cream and sugar with the coffee?" An elderly board member indicates the cup in his hand.

Felicity struggles to offer her smile. She went to MIT and has a genius level IQ and now she's reduced to getting coffee. Yeah, Oliver owes her BIG.

She nods. On the trek back down the hall she finds herself wishing she could teleport. It would be so much better than teetering everywhere in high heels. Maybe the panda flats wouldn't have been such a bad idea. She musters a polite smile for the Board member who wanted the cream and sugar, but he doesn't spare her a glance.

The meeting has started and as soon as her eyes meet Oliver's she knows it's not going well.

"You have to realize that your company is in shambles, Mr. Queen. You're barely staying afloat. I'll keep this simple since you never actually completed college. You're going to have to start selling shares to keep going. I'm offering to buy you out so you can actually make a profit because with the aftermath of the Undertaking, your company's value has plummeted. No one is going to invest. I'm your best bet. And frankly, you're never going to be able to pull this company out of its slump. Cut your losses and just sell now."

Oliver's jaw clenches. "Ms. Rochev, I may not have completed college, but I am dedicated to my employees and their wellbeing. Every company you take over lets go of thousands of employees. I'm trying to rebuild this city. I'm not about to make the economy worse by firing thousands. I may not have business degrees but I know selling the stocks will get us enough money to keep functioning while maintaining our current employment."

If possible, Isabel Rochev becomes even more disapproving. "Fine. We'll do this the hard way. The rest of the stocks go on sale tomorrow. You don't have the money to buy them and when I do, I'll have controlling majority and you'll be forced to step down. I figured I'd at least give you the chance to reconsider. Goodbye, Mr. Queen." Felicity steps to the side so the she-beast can pass her, but suddenly four figures in black burst into the room and line up against the wall, guns pointed at Oliver at the head of the table. Felicity's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly recognized the hooded figures.

"Oliver Queen, you have failed this city."

Oliver's eyes dart to hers before shots ring out and everyone ducks to avoid the bullets. Through the glass walls, Felicity spies Digg in motion, but she's farthest from him. She helps Isabel past her to get out of the room and a couple board members push past her. Digg gets couple shots in, but one of the men puts up a fight so he can't help Oliver when a guy comes up behind him.

Thinking quickly, Felicity grabs one of the silly monoliths from the center of the table and swings it at the back of the attacker's head. Shockingly, he falls to the floor, but Felicity doesn't have long to think about it because the next thing she knows Oliver has his arm banded around her waist and they're swinging out the window.

_We're hundreds of feet in the air!_ Felicity marvels at how unconcerned she is at the idea of swinging out of the top floor of the QC building as they crash back in through another window. Oliver breaks her fall for the most part so she's only slightly dazed as she brushes her hair out of her face. She stares at Oliver, both of them in shock until they hear sirens in the distance. It's only then she realizes his hand was resting on her cheek to make sure she was alright.

...

"Felicity!" Tommy pushes through the police officers swarming the destroyed conference room and office to pull her into a bear hug, disrupting her conversation with Detective Lance. She refuses to think of him as Officer Lance despite his many corrections. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tommy. No one was hurt."

Lance watches the interaction with interest. He had never been particularly fond of Merlyn Junior when he was dating Laurel, but he's had to revise that opinion when he witnessed how the man handled the scandal of the Undertaking. He had sold the company and all the profit went to the rebuilding efforts in the Glades. He still wasn't willing to forgive the boy for breaking his daughter's heart, but he thought a little more of him.

"I thought you were down in IT. What were you doing up here?" Tommy's eyes dart accusingly to Oliver, who chooses that moment to look over and make eye contact. Tommy sees him wince before turning back to the officer he's talking to. It's Felicity's light touch on his shoulder that draws him back into conversation.

"Remember what I said last night about Oliver's secretary? Yeah, well, I was more right than I wanted to be. I needed to go through her computer so I was up here. But I'm fine. See? All in one piece."

Tommy begrudgingly nods. "Do you need anything else, sir?"

Lance shakes his head. "Let me know if you hear from our mutual friend, Miss Smoak."

Felicity nods, eyes darting back to Oliver as Lance walks away. He meets her eyes, but averts his gaze again to answer another question.

"Hey, don't you have a hot date right about now?" Tommy asks, looking down at his watch.

Felicity grabs his hand and looks at the time: 3:05. "Fudge!"

...

Tommy finds Oliver and Digg in the back of Verdant, Oliver dialing and redialing his phone as soon as he gets a voicemail. Digg looks faintly amused as he leans against the wall next to the locked door. Oliver's scowl is enough to make little children cry.

"Damn it! She's not answering!" He stops himself from throwing his phone when his eyes land on Tommy.

Tommy nods. "She better not be. She's on a date."

"A date?"

Tommy nods, stepping past the two men to punch in the code to the door, holding it open. "She texted me to get over here and see what was up. Apparently, you're interrupting something good."

Tommy internally smirked at the jealous scowl etched into Oliver's face. Digg snorts and rolls his eyes but both men descend into the basement.

"We need her here." Oliver stops as Tommy flips the switch to turn on all the lights. He turns to look behind him at Tommy and Digg. "Wh-"

"Felicity figured you'd come back eventually." Tommy walked past him to Felicity's chair. He pulls up her computers. "She designed the whole set up, but she did teach me a little about her computers."

"All she had me do was move around heavy things." Digg counters, arms crossed as he stood next to Tommy.

"So what have we learned about the copycats?" Tommy pulls up the easy-search bar Felicity created for him.

"One of them has a prosthetic hand."

"Wait? She's not coming?"

"And they moved with military precision so I would say a veteran."

"Who's she on a date with?"

"I got it." Tommy smiles as the file appears on the screen, inordinately happy. So this is what it feels like to be the tech genius of the group. No wonder why Felicity does that fist pump thing. It feels incredible. "A guy by the name of Jeff Deveau. African American. Late thirties. Ex-marine. He lost hand and his wife in the Undertaking. He's part of a program called Standing Strong, a support group for those who lost someone in the quake. They meet at the church in the Glades. And before you go, you're going to need this."

Tommy picks up the case Felicity had left on the table and hands it over. Oliver is still staring at him. "Dude, take the box."

"I thought you didn't support me as a vigilante."

"Yeah, well your sister needs you right now. So take the box, get changed into your green leather suit, and bring her back."

Oliver nods, turning on his heel to get changed and Tommy turns back to Diggle. "She's right. You guys are lost without her."

Digg nods solemnly. "At least she lets you touch her babies. She won't let me or Oliver near them."

"Probably a wise choice. Oliver sucked with computers before he went missing on an island for five years."

...

"Tommy, I'm just calling to let you know that I'm on my way home. Yes, I am walking, but I'm fine. Seriously. I'll even call you again when I get home just to prove it. So call you in ten minutes."

She flicks her finger across the screen, ending the voicemail. She already got the text saying they had taken down the Hoods. Thea was home safe, which was great. Felicity's love life was once again in shambles, which was bad, but at least the bad guys were put away behind bars. And her new computer program had worked for Tommy so maybe she wouldn't need to spend as many long nights in the Foundry anymore.

"Not that you really have a life anymore. Your first boyfriend in two years and he breaks up with you after meeting your boss; nice picking, Felicity. Really." She mutters to herself as she picks her way through the nearly empty streets. She knows she shouldn't be traveling this way home. The Glades were dangerous before the quake and her house is right on the edge of the part that was hit hardest in the Undertaking. But the coffee date had turned into a dinner date a couple blocks from her apartment, and she wasn't about to drive there and back. She wasn't worried.

"Hey, sweetheart! You looking for some fun?"

Felicity starts as a man steps from the shadows, her hand going immediately to the can of pepper spray in her purse.

"Looking hot, mamacita."

"Damn!"

She doesn't have to look at the other figures emerging from the darkness to know this isn't going to be good. Her pepper spray isn't going to be much help right now. She turns to go back the way she came, but moving shadows tell her it's not safe.

"This works a lot better if you're willing, sweetheart," the first one whispers, causing her to spin around again and almost fall in her heels.

Felicity cursed her fashion choice again. Where were her trusty panda flats when she needed them? In her purse her hand, moves to her phone, moving by memory through her pass code and she chances a glance down to make sure she's on contacts before she presses the first one.

"Stay back!" She warns, moving away and speaking loud enough that her phone can hopefully pick it up. She doesn't want to think about how long it will take someone to show up and what could happen to her in the time between then and now. She tries for confidence, but her voice sounds strained even to her own ears.

The men around her laugh, still moving closer.

"Aren't you going to scream?" One leers. "I like it when they scream."

"Me too." Felicity jumps at the addition of a female voice, but she realizes the woman isn't with the men as they turn towards the source. "But that's no way to treat a lady."

The woman stands tall a pile of rubble leftover from the Undertaking, a staff in her hand. Her blonde hair shines in the darkness while the rest of her black leather suit blends in with the night. Felicity's spent enough time with Oliver and Digg to recognize the stance of a hardened warrior.

"Get out of here, lady, or you're next." The first man who spoke, pulls a gun from the waistband of his pants and brandishes it in her direction.

The woman laughs, her voice echoing in the street. In the next instant, she's in motion. She disarms the first guy and knocks him out in one fluid motion of her bo staff. Felicity stands frozen in awe as the woman whirls and ducks, weaving in and out of her would-be rapists in a deadly dance. One of them starts towards Felicity with a knife pulled and her training with Diggle kicks in. Dropping her purse, she hits his hand out of the way and thrusts her palm upwards, hearing the crack of his nose as it breaks. He backs up, but Felicity kicks him in the groin too for good measure, ending with an elbow to the back of his neck as he bends over. He falls to the ground like a bag of potatoes and she resists the urge to throw her fist up in the air.

She moves back to her purse and finds the woman in black holding the bag out to her. "Thank you."

The woman watches her with piercing eyes. "No woman deserves to suffer at the hands of men." She nods to the man Felicity took down. "You did okay yourself."

Felicity glances at the man. "I guess, but if you hadn't shown up..." She turns back at the woman is back on top of the pile of rubble. "Hey! Wait! Who are you?"

The woman looks back over her shoulder. Felicity can't see her face clearly, but she swears she sees a smile before the woman takes off running again. Taking the hint, Felicity starts walking again, pulling out her phone again. She sees the line is still open so she lifts it to her ear.

"Hey?"

"Felicity?! Christ! You scared the hell out of me." Tommy's voice is awash in relief. "Shit. What the hell were you thinking walking home alone in the Glades? Do you know how lucky you are that I picked up?"

"I'm fine. It's okay. Some woman saved me. And get this: she was dressed in all black with a mask. She took out seven men! By herself! It was amazing. I mean, I took out one myself so they weren't really that tough, but she might be a better fighter than Oliver."

"Well, you can tell him that when you see him."

"When am I- NO, Tommy, you didn't!" She stops walking and stares pleadingly at the sky.

"What was I supposed to do, Felicity? You called me and I only could hear what appeared to be a group of men probably about to rape you."

"Can't you call him and tell him I'm fine?" She doesn't want to deal with Oliver on top of this disaster of a night. Then she hears the whine of a motorcycle and she grimaces. "Nevermind."

"I'm staying on the line until he gets there."

"Tommy, I can hear him now." Felicity starts walking again. He really doesn't need to do this. She's almost home already.

"I'm not hanging up until Oliver tells me he's got you."

"Really?" She wants to throw her things on the floor and somehow force them to understand that she doesn't need them to keep a constant eye on her. True, she was almost in a bad situation, so maybe she shouldn't be so annoyed. She sighs, accepting the fact that Oliver was coming just as he pulls up next to her. He jumps off the bike and walks over to her, resting his hands on her shoulders as he looks her over.

"I'm okay," she assures him. She holds out her phone. "Now can you tell Tommy that so he'll hang up? All I really want to do is get home and take a nice hot bath."

He takes the phone. "I've got her. I'm taking her home now."

Felicity offers him a smile as she puts the phone back in her bag. Without a word, he helps her on to the back of the bike. She hugs him tightly ash he weaves through the roads back to her apartment, enjoying the safety she feels in his presence. He's not wearing his green leather costume, but his inside-out black t-shirt tells her just how quickly he came to rescue her when he got the call.

She relaxes into his back, sighing, comfortable in knowing she's safe with or without the woman in black. She's got her boys and they will always look out for her.


	8. Identity

_A/N: So these chapters are taking me longer than planned to write. Sorry that this is going up so late! I am now going to be updating once a week due to the length of chapters. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or any of the characters. If you recognize the dialogue, it is not mine. _

_As always, please PLEASE review. They are encourage me to keep writing and let me know that people are still reading! And thank you for all the reviews. They mean the world to me! _

_Enjoy! _

**Identity **

"That's it! I'm quitting! I'm quitting and moving to Kord Industries where someone will actually appreciate my technological genius!" Tommy holds the phone away from his ear as Felicity's voice pours out of it, far too loud for six thirty in the morning, which is the time his clock reads as he props himself up on his elbows in bed. He glances sideways at the brunette sleeping beside him. He groans against the giant headache as he slides himself out of bed and crosses the floor to his dresser.

He hears a steady stream of babble through the phone, but sets it on the dresser as he pulls on a pair of sweatpants and leaves the bedroom to the painful morning light. It's only once he's hit the button on his coffee maker that he lifts the phone back up to his ear.

"He has crossed a line this time!"

"What did he do now?" Even in his hungover state Tommy has no doubt they're talking about Oliver.

"Haven't you been listening?"

"Not really. You did wake me up, Lissy." Tommy stifles a yawn as he hears her pause on the other side of the line.

"Sorry. I forgot. You had a date last night, right?"

He shakes his head, thinking back to the brunette in his room. "I had fun. So what has Oliver done this time that has you calling me at this ungodly hour?"

"The narcissistic ass gave me a _promotion_." From her inflection, not to mention her call, Tommy knows this is bad, but he has to wonder if Oliver knows just how much trouble he's bringing down on himself. "I got an email, _an email_, this morning from HR telling me that I am now Oliver Queen's _executive assistant_! What the hell does that even mean? I am far to qualified to be someone's _secretary_. I did not go to MIT for four years to fetch him coffee! He can't do this to me. And on top of it all, he didn't even have the decency to tell me himself! I spent all last night with him and he didn't bring it up once! You'd think he'd have the time between bouts of working out to tell me 'oh, hey, would you mind being my assistant?' Not that I would have said yes, because I most definitely would not have!"

"Okay, Liss, I'm going to stop you right there. Have you talked to him yet?" Tommy smirks at his cup of coffee as he takes a sip. Oliver has no idea how much trouble he's in.

"No. He hasn't been picking up his phone." Her angry voice tells him that she's tried, more than once, and probably in more than one way.

"I'm sure he has a good reason," Tommy hedges, wincing at the verbal lashing Oliver will be getting later, because Felicity is nowhere hear done with her verbal assault and she really just wants to yell at him.

She huff indignantly, clearly not really buying it either. "Well, if he thinks I'm accepting this, he has another thing coming. I'm _not_ doing this. If you can't find him later, it's because I killed him and hid the body. Talk to you later?"

Tommy chuckles. "Bye, Lissy." He ends the call but before he drops the phone he types a quick message to Oliver: "You really did it this time."

The tosses the phone on the counter and it slides on the tile, but he just takes a sip of his coffee and stares at the rectangular piece of technology. He hears footsteps and a stifled yawn before the brunette he brought home walks into the kitchen wearing her shirt as she pads around in bare feet.

"Morning."

"Yeah. It's early. Why are you up?"

"Felicity had a crisis." Tommy offers her his cup of coffee and she takes it with a smile. He pours himself another cup as she hops up on the opposite counter.

"So she called you?"

"Yup."

The brunette shook her head. "She's lucky to have you as a friend."

"You wouldn't have answered a call at 6:30 in the morning?" He raises an eyebrow in amusement. "And she spoke so highly of you, Mellie."

Mellie shakes her head with a smirk. "You're a good friend."

"She's a better one." He shrugs. "She makes me want to be a better person."

"She has that effect on people, but she's not perfect." Mellie sighs, taking another sip of coffee, and groaning at the taste. "She picked this out, didn't she?"

Tommy nods, smiling at Felicity's old college roommate. She had set up their date last night after Tommy told her he was considering going out again. He still loved Laurel, but he had needed to try something different. Mellie was visiting for job interviews and she had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. It was supposed to be a trial date for both of them, but they had hit it off, both agreeing that it was a one night thing. Neither of them was in for the long run.

"She loves her coffee and her wine."

"That she does."

Tommy surveys Mellie over his coffee. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but she was just as jaded as he was. Her boyfriend of three years had left her for another man, which left her a bit cynical, but she reminds him a lot of Laurel's sister Sara. She's a little bit of a wild child, hurting on the inside yet confident.

They drink the black coffee in silence, neither awake nor feeling the need for conversation. Tommy likes this simplicity. It's not like any other one night stand he's ever had. He doesn't feel the need to get rid of her quickly or at all embarrassed or guilty. They were both consenting adults and they had agreed to this.

Tommy's phone goes off from its place next to Mellie and she picks it up, preparing to throw it, but he shakes his head.

"What does it say?"

She opens the phone and looks at the message. "It's from Oliver. It says: I know." She looks up with a questioning glance.

Tommy gestures with his mug. "He's the one who pissed her off. I don't think its sunk in yet just how angry she is."

Mellie chuckles. "He's in for it. When she gets angry, she gets even."

Tommy joins in her laugh, winking at her. "And I can't wait to see what she does to him."

...

Felicity angrily drops her purse on the floor, mentally stringing together every curse she'd ever heard in every language. She'd had to rustle through the entirety of her closet to find a professional outfit because she was not going to a laughing stock because she couldn't dress the part.

The desk had a completely new computer set up, she noticed with detached interest. He was trying to bribe her..._again_. She refuses to sit in her chair right now or even touch the computers. With any luck, she'll get her job back in a couple of hours after talking Oliver out of whatever hair-brained scheme he had. Because her as an executive assistant was insane. She was never going to do this.

She hears the ding of the elevator and turns on her heel, heading off Oliver and Digg before they get out of the metal box, taking the largest steps she possibly can in her high heels and tight fitting dress. She doesn't even give him a chance to get out of the elevator.

"I quit!"

"No, you don't," he tells her right back, obviously prepared for this kind of reaction, which infuriates her even more.

"Yes, I do! Not my old job, in the IT department, but my new job as your executive assistant because that is never _ever_ going to happen! I helped out with one meeting: _one_. And that is all I will ever do." She pokes him in the chest for good measure, even though she's sure it hurts her hand more than it hurts him.

"I need a girl Wednesday."

"It's _Friday_. And the answer is still no!" She's pretty sure he got that reference wrong on purpose just to rile her up.

"I upgraded the computers. They have more processing power than your average secretary would." He turns to go into his office as if that fact alone should be enough to placate her, but Felicity is not having any of it. He can't buy her with fancy toys.

"Oliver, you don't seem to remember that I went to MIT! Guess what I majored in? Not the secretarial arts!"

He grits his teeth as he spins around, eyes begging her to keep his voice down as he struggles to keep his at a calm, speaking level. "Felicity, we all need to have secret identities now. And as CEO I can't go down eighteen flights every time you and I need to discuss how we spend our nights."

"And I love spending the night with you." Why did she just say that? Felicity winces at the words. "3...2...1...I had to work very hard to get where I am and it wasn't so I could fetch you coffee!"

Diggle snorts from his position by the door. "Could be worse! My secret identity is his black driver."

Felicity continues to glare at Oliver as he sits behind his desk. She's not going to take his shit this time. He grimaces at Diggle's comment but then turns to look at her. "Right now, could you please figure out how the highjackers are getting a line on the goods earmarked for Glades Memorial. If know how they're picking their targets-"

"We'll know when and where to stop them." Diggle offers her a comforting smile, even as she scowls.

Felicity is torn because she doesn't want to accept this job that is both way outside her expertise and mindboggling to her. She also knows that Oliver has a very good point, which she will never admit out loud to anybody. "Fine." She turns to walk away, but she realizes she needs to make Oliver pay, somehow for this whole debacle. She plasters on a fake smile and turns back around. "Mr. Queen, can I get you some coffee?"

She hears Diggle snort in the background and watches as Oliver's jaw works once before he summons a smile around a clenched jaw.

"You're not actually offering to get me coffee."

"Yeah, nope. That's _never_ going to happen." She storms out of the room, finally dropping into the chair of what will apparently be her new desk and flipping on the computer.

Surprisingly, he managed to get the same office chair as the one she has down in the lair. She reigns in the smile, determined to be annoyed and angry for at least half the day, if not more. She glances at Diggle and he shrugs as he chew on a piece of gum. He's obviously not about to get involved. She turns back to the computer and gets to work. There's no reason to not be productive, even if she's mad at the man in charge.

...

"So you took the job?" Tommy asks with a bemused smirk, pouring his best friend a glass of her favorite red from behind the bar. She sighs at the cup, but shakes her head.

"I can't drink, Tommy. I have to work tonight." She frowns at the thought and Tommy still places the glass in front of her, next to her take-out box of Chinese food. He pours himself another glass and sits across the bar from her.

"So you took the job." It's not a question because he knows the answer. She would have been here far earlier if she had quit.

She sighs, stabbing her fork with gusto into the chicken and broccoli. "Hehadapoint," she mutters and Tommy leans forward.

"I'm sorry: what was that?"

Felicity raises her head in a glare. "Don't make me say it again, Merlyn."

He chuckles, but raises his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I won't."

They eat in silence for a couple of bites, before: "So how did the date go?"

A secretive smile lights up Tommy's face and Felicity laughs, pushing his arm lightly. "If you start sleeping with all my friends, Merlyn, I'm going to stop setting you up." She rolls her eyes at his antics. "You're just lucky that she already told me she had a great time, or else there would be a lot of yelling."

"So, she said she had a good time..."

"Now, you're just fishing for compliments."

"Sometimes a guy just wants to know he's good in bed."

"And some guys are too arrogant and need to be taken down a peg." Felicity smiles sweetly as she takes another bite of her food while Tommy just shakes his head.

"Or maybe I'm just that good."

"Well, I can't attest to that."

"I'm game if you are," Tommy teases, throwing her a wink.

"I knew it!" Felicity and Tommy's head jerk around to spot Laurel standing by the entrance, with her briefcase in hand, glaring at the couple at the bar. "I knew you were sleeping together!"

Felicity sputters for a second before she looks at the startled expression on Tommy's face and then she starts laughing excessively. She can't help it. He looks so wrecked and Laurel's pissed about something all in her head. The laughter is high pitched and tears leak out the corner of her eyes. Tommy shoots her a pained look.

"I'm sorry. Sorry." Felicity finally gets herself under control with a couple deep, centering breaths. She wipes at the tears in the corner of her eyes. "It's just...why do people think we're sleeping together. Really? It's not like I'm with you all night or anything. And she walks in right when we're discussing your one night stand with Mellie, which I can't believe you took advantage of her like that. No, wait, I can totally believe that. It was probably her idea."

Tommy ignores her as he walks around the bar towards Laurel. "Is there something I can help you with, Laurel?"

She sneers at Felicity over Tommy's shoulder, but fixes her attention back on him. "I came here to talk to you." She holds up a plastic take out bag. "I even brought dinner, because I figured it was going to be a busy night, but it looks like you don't need it."

Tommy sighs, glancing back at Felicity who's frowning at the lawyer. "Laurel, I already told you: Felicity and I aren't sleeping together. Not that it's any of your business."

"I just thought things might have changed."

"They haven't. Between me and Felicity and between you and me."

Roy bursts into the bar, a case of vodka in his arms that he drops on the bar right next to the food. Felicity offers him a smile, gleeful to ignore the Laurel-Tommy drama. As he turns around to place the bottles of alcohol on the correct shelves, she notices the red arrow sticking out of his back pocket. Of course, she recognizes it from Oliver's collection and she knows what he's doing, but it's still weird to think of Thea's boyfriend as an honorary member of the team. She's not even sure bringing Roy in is a good idea.

"So, Roy, how's Thea doing in school?" Felicity smiles winningly, probably overcompensating for the other couple she's trying not to pay attention to.

Roy glances at Tommy and Laurel and back, obviously not fooled by her wanting to avoid the drama. He slides a couple more bottles into place. "She's going to class, which is more than I would do. Although, she keeps complaining about her economics professor being narrow-minded and sexist."

Felicity nods and shovels another forkful into her mouth. In a distinctly unladylike manner, she talks around her food. "And how are you holding up?"

He raises an eyebrow, glancing uncomfortably at Tommy and Laurel again. He crosses his arms over his chest and walks closer to the counter. "What do you really want, Blondie?"

She takes a swig of wine as she glares at the teen. "What? I can't just start up a conversation? We're friends, right, Roy? Friends talk. They make conversation, so talk."

"Really? You're ordering me to talk _on command_?"

"Just do it, Harper." Felicity waves her wine glass in his direction, careful not to spill any alcohol.

"What do you want me to talk about?"

"What have you been up to lately?" She smiles innocently as Roy rolls his eyes at her.

"Well, my job here lets me pay the rent. There were no shootings in my area last night, so that's good. There have been no break-ins in the neighborhood either. However, I did run into a group of thugs on the way to work today. But with the Arrow back and that new girl in black, things have been better. You still shouldn't go out there alone, though."

Her most recent mouthful of food catches in the back of her throat and she sputters, coughing as a reflex. She pounds her chest in an effort to alleviate the discomfort, taking a sip of wine. Suddenly, there's a hand rubbing her back as she breathes through her scratchy throat. Her watery eyes land on the wary faces of Tommy, Laurel and Roy. She starts. The large hand was still pressed into her back even though she had thought it belonged to Tommy. Turning her head to the side, her eyes land on a broad chest that she doesn't need to follow up to Oliver's stubble-covered face. Instead she averts her eyes and lifts her drink back up to her lips.

"Are you okay, Felicity?" Oliver's deep voice asks, drilling into her head in a way she really wishes it wouldn't. It sinks into her soup, causing her pulse to quicken in a way she doesn't want to think about.

She nods around her glass of wine, offering a smile to her audience. "Yeah, me...I'm fine. Perfectly fine. That's me. Fine."

Roy snorts and goes back to work, Laurel scowls, eyes flickering between Felicity and the boys, and Tommy reaches out to rub her arm.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Tommy, I'm fine." The glass scrapes against the counter as Felicity pushes it further away from her. "But maybe I should get some water." Her feet land on the floor, as she tries to get distance from Oliver and his touching. Except his hand remains on her back as she walks around him to get to the other side of the bar. It doesn't matter anyway because Roy is already passing her a glass over the counter.

"I'm fine, guys, really." She throws a glare over his shoulder at Oliver. "And I'm still mad at you."

Oliver nods and takes a step back. She tries not to see how reluctantly he drops his hand from her back. She notices Tommy's knowing look, but she just makes a face at him before grabbing her container of Chinese food and walking into the back of the club. Balancing the container on her glass, she punches the code into the keypad and reaches for the door.

A hand reaches out and Diggle pulls the door open for her with his typical silent flair. She offers him a thankful smile and the pair disappears into their basement lair, ready for a night of long work.

...

"Trouble in paradise?" Laurel remarks, glancing after the retreating blonde figure.

Tommy rolls his eyes. This was the reason he'd let Felicity set him up with one of her friends. What happened to the girl who was kind to everyone and always stood up for the underdog? He had no idea how she disliked Felicity so thoroughly. He hadn't really thought it was possible until he'd seen them interact. He took a sip from his own wine glass, removing Felicity's and pouring the rest of her goblet down the drain.

"She had a stressful day at work," Oliver answers with a strained smile, fingers tapping on the counter.

Roy coughs in the background, earning him a look from the other three. He smiles guiltily and gestures vaguely towards the back. "I'll just go organize the liquor in the back."

As he leaves, Tommy notices the small red arrow sticking out of Roy's back pocket. His eyes immediately dart back to Oliver and the small grimace gracing his friend's face. Tommy's hand curls in a fist. He had promised Thea he would make sure Roy stayed out of trouble, which included keeping him away from the Arrow and any Arrow business.

"You know, Laurel, if you don't have anything else to say, you should leave. We need to get ready to open." Tommy waves to the arriving bartenders, moving his food off the bar and moving his wine glass to the bin for dirty dishes.

"I came here to see you." Tommy clenches his jaw and turns back to her. He doesn't want to deal with this right now. His eyes land on Oliver, whose eyes rake over the room in an attempt to avoid the awkward conversation.

"I'm going to head out. I have an event tonight to prepare for. I just wanted to stop by and say hi." He gives the bar one last tap, turning away.

"Wait! Oliver, we need to talk." Tommy glares at his friend's back as he pauses. He spares a second to turn to Laurel. "If you want to talk about us, we can meet for lunch tomorrow at noon at Big Belly Burger." He pushes past her stunned and hurt face, over coddling her, and pulls Oliver into a far corner of the room.

"Tommy-"

"No, you listen to me, Oliver: You should _not_ be getting Roy involved in this shit. I promised your sister I would keep him out of trouble. That means, not getting him involved in your night business. Involving Felicity is bad enough, but we both know there's not convincing her not to do this anymore so I'm putting my foot down with Roy."

Oliver grits his teeth and leans forward. "Tommy. I am doing what I can. He was out there _fighting_ so I got him out of trouble. Now he's working for the Arrow: he's just reporting news from the Glades. He's the one who told us about the medical supplies. I had to give him something, Tommy, because he was going to do it anyway."

Tommy scowls at his friend, then glances around, frowning. Oliver's logic is sound, as much as he hates to admit it and at least the kid isn't in any more danger than usual. He had noticed the bruising the kid got sometimes. He runs a hand over his jaw, contemplating the conundrum. Watching Roy saunter back in and start scrubbing the bar down with a rag, Tommy twists back to Oliver. "Fine, but he doesn't see action. If he does, I'm telling Thea. Everything."

Oliver nods, accepting the truth of the statement. His eyes connect with something behind Tommy. "I really do have to go. Felicity's working downstairs, trying to figure out when the next shipment will be hit. Could you check on her later? I'll be back after this function, but she shouldn't be down there by herself."

Tommy watches the minute changes in Oliver's face as he talks about Felicity. "I always do."

Oliver leaves with Diggle, seamless in their non-verbal communication. Tommy glances back at the bar, happy to see that Laurel's disappeared finally. Now he just has to make it through the crazy Friday night crowd.

...

It's one in the morning when Felicity stumbles out of the basement, heels in her hand and purse slung over her shoulder. Tommy stops at the mouth of the hallway, about to head back into the belly of Verdant to visit with his favorite blonde. She smiles at him, the bright smile of a job well done.

"You got the guys." It isn't really a question. Tommy knows that satisfied smile. She also gets it when she finally wins in a video game.

"Yup."

"Is he downstairs?"

She shakes her head, sighing. "Nope. He went back to work to mope. I figured I'd go in, bring him some coffee. With all my researching into the robberies, I got absolutely no QC work done, so I should be going in anyway. Which means I should pick up coffee on the way because I may or may not have broken the one in the office because there was no way in hell I was going to be bringing Oliver coffee."

Tommy snorts. "Of course not."

Her returning smile, tired and loving, makes him want to tell her not to go, but he doesn't think it's going to make a difference. She grips his arm as she balances on one foot and then the other, slipping on her heels again.

"Are you sure you want to, Felicity?"

She smirks at him, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "Yup. How else am I supposed to set up his schedule and stop the evil Russian bitch from taking over his company?"

Tommy pulls her in for a hug. "Just remember to text me when you get there and when you get home."

She nods, slipping out into the darkness and leaving Tommy alone with the pulsing club music, making him feel older than it did six months ago. He wonders if his friends know they're circling each other, slowly getting closer and closer together. They're one drunken night away from getting together and he can't help but wonder what excuse he can find to get them drunk. It might take a little longer than expected if they keep having late night coffee dates.

Tommy snorts and returns to the bar, answering the intoxicated calls for drinks with practiced ease as his mind ponders more important matters: like what he's going to say to Laurel tomorrow and what it will take to get Oliver to admit he has feelings for their favorite IT girl.


	9. Broken Dolls

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I kept getting stuck and wasn't sure where I was going...so basically I've had horrible horrible writer's block and now I have finally finished and have decided to post right away. Because of my current work load at school I'm going to strive to update as soon as possible (which hopefully means once a week). I'm currently working on juggling two fics and like I said this chapter took a lot longer to write than planned, so sorry about that. _

_I hope you like this chapter. I changed some things pretty dramatically from the original episode. Let me know what you think! _

_..._

**Broken Dolls**

"Lance wants you working this case?" Tommy stares at the computer screens over Felicity's shoulder as she rifles through everything the police has on the Dollmaker.

"Felicity, were you able to look into the lab's database?" Oliver walks over from his desk, leaning over Felicity's other shoulder, hand grazing her back in what Tommy believes to be a purely unnecessary movement. He smirks at their closeness, sharing a look with Diggle behind their backs.

"Their database is inaccessible from the outside. We would need to do this like the Merlyn Job." Tommy raises an eyebrow as Felicity winces at her words. "And when I say the Merlyn Job, I mean that time we looked into your father in a completely legal and totally not thief-like way."

Tommy's eyes travel to Oliver who shifts guiltily. "We needed to know about the Undertaking and the only way to access the mainframe was in Merlyn Global."

His arms cross over his chest as he watches his two best friends who find themselves suddenly unable to make eye contact. If they would, they would witness the smirk playing over his features as he imagines them dressed in catsuits sneaking around his father's office building. Except...

"Did this happen while I was working there?"

Felicity's face burns beet-red as she struggles to forget that whole thing, every embarrassing word that escaped her mouth. Digg snorts in the background and Oliver runs a wary hand over his head, glancing surreptitiously at the blonde IT girl next to him.

"I'll take that as a yes." He's more interested in the tension the memory seems to have inspired between his two best friends that they can no longer make eye contact. "So what now?"

"Now, we break into the lab and find our information, right?" Felicity looks up at Oliver, sly smile gracing her face.

"No. This time I'm going in as the Arrow. Lance is coming with me: he wants to keep an eye on this case. It's personal for him."

She nods, not arguing. "I can set up a remote hacking device." She immediately starts out typing rapidly into the computer, plugging a USB into the computer before popping it out with a flair and holding it out a proud Oliver. He smirks at her as he takes it from her hand. "Just stick it in and watch me do my thing." She grimaces at the words, shaking her head. "You know what I mean."

Oliver nods, turning back around and exiting the way he came in. Her eyes follow him until he disappears from view and she bites her bottom lip. Tommy shakes his head while Digg wags his eyebrows before following his boss out the foundry basement. Tommy plops down into the extra chair, walking himself closer to Felicity. She's still lost in thought until he coughs for the third time and her head whips around.

"Did you say something, Tommy?"

He shakes his head innocently, lips upturned in amusement. "I didn't say anything, Smoak. Are you feeling okay?" She gives him a funny look, like she can't figure out what exactly he's teasing her about.

"I'm fine."

"Of course." He smirks at her. Confusion clouds her face, but she knows he's not about to tell her anything no matter how hard she pushes. She'll get it out of him eventually show vows to herself before turning back to the computers. She has work to do.

...

"Next time I agree to be bait, please turn me down." Felicity mutters into her comm, glancing over her shoulder and seeing things in the shadows. Her heart is racing despite the knowledge that there are three sets of eyes on her now: Oliver, Digg, and Lance. She trusts all three with her life, confident that they want to keep her safe. She's scared out of her mind right now, but she's also glad they've finally stopped questioning her when she wants to do something.

"We've got eyes on you, Felicity. You're safe." She can see Oliver move on the room of the building across the street and she knows exactly which car Digg is sitting in, just like she knows there's a tracker in the necklace hanging around her neck. They've covered all their bases: Oliver isn't taking any chances with this one.

"I'm not a fan of using helpless girls as bait."

Felicity internally groans. _No one_ is happy with this plan, but it's the best they have. She knows Oliver growled when she suggested it like some sort of beast. Luckily, Tommy wasn't there otherwise he wouldn't have let her do this without a fight. Oliver he was able to convince simply because he knew it was her choice and that was that. Besides, he wouldn't admit it but they really needed her to step up.

A shadow moves. "Guys!" But it walks right past her to a car and she breathes easily. "False alarm. Remind me never to do this AHHHH!"

Hands wrap around to cover her mouth and she fights his grip, kicking out with her feet to his shins, aiming elbows for his sides, bags spilled across the pavement. She hears the whoosh of the arrow and her captor drags her away from the street, towards a car. The comm is still live in her ear, her boys shouting for her as her eyelids grow heavy and the world darkens around her.

...

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU LET HER GO OUT THERE!"

"It was her choice, Tommy."

But Tommy is seeing red and the guilt and self-reprimands evident in Oliver's face do nothing to dim the fire raging in his eyes. "YOU LET HER GO OUT THERE AND NOW HE HAS HER!"

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT, TOMMY!" Oliver roars. The pain in Oliver's voice is the only thing capable of cutting through his angry fog. Digg reaches over and presses down on Oliver's shoulder. Tommy watches as he pulls back into himself, the torment only visible in his friend's eyes.

"She has a tracker on," Diggle explains, eyes locking on Tommy. "Can you pull it up on the computers?"

Tommy immediately turns to Felicity's computers. He tries to block out the sound of Diggle whispering to Oliver, talking him off a ledge. He finds the program already running in the foreground of one of the three screens.

"I got her!"

Immediately the two men are looking over his shoulder before tearing out of the basement, Oliver only bothering to call over his shoulder:

"Call Lance with the address! And stay on comms."

...

He doesn't like it behind the computers. Instead he wears a path in the floor pacing with the comms on speaker. He doesn't get much in the way of dialogue, only vague sounds and grunts of a fight. His stomach twists in knots as he stares at the blinking dots on the screens in front of him. How does Felicity do this every night?

If he had to do this constantly, he would have heart complications, his blood pressure would be incredibly high, and he would probably lose all his hair. All he really wants is a definite report on Felicity's status. Her tracker is a bright blue dot that hasn't moved even as Oliver's green one moves in the area.

He's definitely aging a couple years worrying in the lair.

...

Oliver's coming for her. She has no doubt. Her necklace is sitting on the table across from her and she really doesn't want to think about how she's now dressed in one of the creep's doll costumes or even consider how that came to be. Adrenaline surges through her blood, eyes wide in hyper-awareness of her situation: of the cool metal stand she's attached to, the tube forced into her mouth that she can't spit out despite multiple attempts.

She doesn't know how long she's been out, which probably won't make her feel any better, but then she might have an idea about how long it will take her boys to get to her. At least, she hasn't gotten eyes on the madman so he's not about to kill her right now. Then again, he waited for her to wake up, so that may or may not be a good sign. Oliver better get here quick because it's taking all her yoga breathing not to freak out too much right now, which isn't saying much considering she feels disembodied from herself, like she's in some bizarre dream.

Her straps cut slowly into her skin, not giving her even an inch to pry herself loose.

"Now, now, sweetie. You don't want to struggle too much. You'll damage that beautiful skin." Barton Mathis runs his clammy hand down her bare arm and Felicity can't suppress the shiver that runs through her body. "I was lucky to get you. I almost didn't, but my beautiful dolls will keep continuing to grace this city. You will be forever young and beautiful. I'm really doing you a favor."

Well, she would argue that point if she was able to actually talk. Mind you, she attempts it, but only unintelligible sounds escape through the tube and Mathis laughs, raising his hand to stroke her cheek.

"Girls are meant to be pretty. And you'll stay this way forever. It's a blessing." He reaches for the dial and liquid starts flowing through the tube. She keeps expecting to see a green arrow shoot through the air, signaling the arrival of her hero, but it doesn't come before the sees the white liquid moving down the tube towards her mouth, making her crossed eyed as she attempts to keep it in view.

She moves her tongue in an attempt to block the tube, but the viscous liquid keeps sipping through anyway. A strangled sob escapes her throat as the liquid seeps through and the fight moves to her throat as she attempts not to swallow the liquid. She squeezes her eyes shut, not wanting to watch the continued assault of liquid as it forces its way inside her.

Suddenly it's gone and she's spitting out the liquid as gloved hands cut through her restraints. Green Leather consumes her field of view but as soon as her hand is free, she pushes him away.

"Go! Get him. Go!"

He pauses, but he doesn't run until Lance's plea joins hers. "Go! I got her."

She watches Oliver until he disappears, a smile of relief playing on her features as she sags against the police officer. She leans heavily against him as they hobble out of the warehouse to the approaching flashes of red and blue lights as Starling's finest come roaring up. In the shadows, Felicity spots Diggle watching her with hawk eyes. She nods to him as Lance lowers her to the passenger seat of his car, ordering two other officers to stay with her as he races back in after the Arrow and Mathis.

Someone hands her a blanket. They ask her if she wants them to call anybody, if she needs anything, if she's ready to give her statement, but right now the only place she wants to be is back at the foundry with her boys, typing away on her computers. She feels safe there. It's become her home: the one place she can go and feel completely protected.

"Felicity. Felicity!"

Her eyes jerk up to find Tommy kneeling in front of her, gripping her hands and suddenly the rest of the world comes into stunning clarity and she can hear the sirens and the flashing lights are nearly blinding once more. She glances around, eyes spotting Lance talking to one of the detectives. Her eyes immediately switch to rooftops and shadows until she sees Oliver's hooded figure watching from a building away. It's only then she can relax into Tommy.

"Hey, its okay, Lis. We're here. We've got eyes on you." Tommy glances around, but he can't spot either Diggle or Oliver. He rubs his thumbs over the backs of her hands in a soothing gesture.

"They didn't catch him, did they?" She stares past Tommy and the milling, angry cops. No one's brought Mathis out and she hasn't heard anything chatter that she can remember.

He grimaces and she can see the worry etched into her face. She sighs, saving him from the need to answer as she mutters, "How's Oliver taking it?"

Tommy stares at her, shocked that it's the next question. "He's...worried about you."

"We need to find Mathis before he gets someone else. He's been interrupted. It might make him desperate." She stands, letting the blanket slip from her shoulders as she started forward.

Tommy's arm on hers stops her, forcing her to turn and face him. "You need to get some rest...maybe go to the hospital. Or at least get into protective custody. That's what they're talking about..."

"No. I'm going back to the foundry."

"Absolutely not." Tommy crosses his arms over his chest. "I can work the computers well enough."

"Tommy, I'll be safe there. You know that."

"Did you ever think that maybe you should take the night off? And don't think I've forgotten about how you volunteered for this because you have a lecture coming for that one."

"I'm going back to the foundry." She wouldn't be able to sleep even if she was in her own bed. She knows that she'll be safe down there with all the security, a vigilante, and a bodyguard. She walks past Tommy, knowing he'll catch up with her. She joins Lance and the detective, neither of which look too happy at the present circumstances.

"If you don't need to me, officers, I'm going to leave."

"Wait, Miss Smoak. We want to put you under protective custody."

"That's okay. I'll stay with a friend tonight." Her eyes land on Lance and he nods while the other detective frowns. "Don't worry, I'll be safe. There'll be someone with me at all times."

"I'll make sure she's safe," Tommy agrees, hand coming to rest against the small of her back. She lets him guide her back to his car, sliding into the passenger seat as he starts the car and they pull out into the main road. She huddles into the blanket, hunched down in the passenger seat, staring at the city lights passing by without really seeing any of them.

Tommy sees Oliver waiting by his parking spot, still lurking a little in the shadows as he's still dressed in green leather and carrying a bow. He doesn't move as Tommy parks and turns off the car or as Felicity pulls herself from the car and walks slowly up to him. From under her gray blanket, she reaches out a little hand to rest on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

Tommy is constantly amazed at her ability to care about everyone else before herself. He hangs back as Oliver reaches his hand up to cup her cheek, running a thumb over her cheek. He's seen Oliver in countless relationships, but this is the first time he's witnessed that level of affection in his friend's eyes. He feels like he's intruding on a private moment as Oliver whispers:

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Oliver. I'm fine."

He nods stiffly, obviously not still comforted by her declaration. She lifts her hand to his face, forcing him to look into her eyes again. He relaxes into her touch before she moves forward and wraps her arm around him in a hug. Tommy averts his eyes as Oliver relaxes into the hug, arm coming to rest behind the small of her back. Then Oliver's phone starts ringing and Tommy winces internally. Just when he was trying to give them some peace.

...

"He's taken Laurel! My daughter!"

"WHAT?" Oliver demands harshly into the phone, turning away from Felicity as Quentin Lance's news sinks in. She watches him, able to hear Detective Lance through the phone even as its pressed to Oliver's ear.

"Mathis! He too-" A scuffle emerges on the other side of the phone before it smashes and the phone is cut off. Oliver immediately turns back to Felicity, eyes wide, but her hand is already punching the code into the keypad, blanket falling down her shoulders as she yanks the door open.

"I'll get you coordinates on the way." She sees the indecisions in his eyes, the worry and guilt for her and the anxiety for Detective Lance and Laurel...gorgeous Laurel. "Go!"

He disappears back to his bike tucked into the shadows and she rushes down the stairs, sliding into her computer without pausing as she pulls up Lance's phone records to locate the last call. She doesn't notice Digg moving closer from the workout mat and picking up her discarded blanket or Tommy following her down the stairs to rest behind her shoulder. She moves through the motions based purely on remembered actions. Her shaking has dissipated, stilled only by her driving need to save a girl she barely met from the man who kidnapped her earlier.

Tommy and Digg don't dare interrupt, the men deciding to remain behind, listening to the chatter over the comms and then gunshots and fights. It dies down and Felicity pushes back from the desk, gripping the armrests of her chair until her knuckles turn white.

"I think you can go now, Tommy," she whispers, glancing up at him. "Laurel needs someone and your hand is practically tapping a beat into the back of my chair. Go."

He doesn't need to be told twice ash he turns and races back up the stairs.

...

Just like with Felicity, the first thing he encounters is a wall of police and unlookers. It takes some crafty slipping to get up to the barricade. He doesn't hesitate to duck under the barricades and race to the warehouse. One of the police officers stops him with a hand to his chest.

"Excuse me, sir. You can't be here." His dark eyes flash at Tommy, but explanations become mute at her scream:

"TOMMY! Tommy! Tommy." A brunette collides with him and he instantly wraps his arms around her in a protective hug, burying his nose in her hair to catch the familiar scent of her floral shampoo. She's shaking slightly, like Felicity was, but tears soak his shirt as she clings to him. Over her head, he makes eye contact with Quentin and the man nods begrudgingly as he pauses in his conversation with a detective nearby.

"I'm glad you're here." She pushes herself away, wiping at her face. "I...I've missed you, Tommy."

"I'm glad you're okay, Laurel. I was worried about you." He can't help feeling like he's on display, like Oliver's watching him from the shadows. He's not worried about Oliver coming between him and Laurel anymore, because 1) Oliver is clearly in love with Felicity and 2) he's not entirely sure he's ready to try with Laurel again.

She rises on her toes and presses a kiss to his cheek, grinning up at him as she pulls back. "Do you think you could take me home?"

He hears the double meaning in her words. He can't help but pause. Would he like to take her home? The answer is surprisingly difficult to answer. He wouldn't have thought it would be. But he finds himself wondering what exactly he would tell Mellie. Of course, they weren't actually in a relationship. It was more a friends with benefits arrangement, that they had going on for the past few weeks. Not that Felicity was aware of that...or anyone else for that matter.

"I can make sure you get home, but that's it."

Laurel's face falls, but she nods anyway and Tommy leads her out, past the police barricade, blocking her with his body from the rest of the crowd.

"Dad said there was another kidnapping earlier, but that girl was saved too and that's why Mathis kidnapped me: to get back at Dad because he couldn't get back at the Arrow." Tommy pauses before turning onto the next road. "Although, I don't understand what's so special about the guy. He's a murderer."

"I think he's trying to be better."

"He killed a man tonight."

Tommy frowns at the information because he remembers over the comms hearing Oliver tell the woman in black not to kill the man. He knows Oliver has been trying and he knows tonight was hard on his best friend. He and Laurel are going to have to disagree on this one. "Was he shot with an arrow?"

"I don't know. Dad didn't let me see the body." She shakes her head. "But does it really matter? He's a criminal that needs to be brought in."

"He just saved your life, Laurel."

"Because my father's been working with him. And that's only because he associates the whole case with my sister's death. The Arrow needs to be brought in to face the legal system for the murders he's committed."

Tommy parks the car, wondering vaguely just how Laurel will take the news when she finds out that Oliver is the Arrow. It seems like a lifetime ago when he thought she would fall more in love with him once she found out. It was why he had broken up with her. Now, he just thinks she'll enter an existential crisis, lock herself in her apartment, and not talk to anyone for a couple weeks while she sorts things out.

He walks her to her apartment, leaving her at the door and forcing her to promise to call him if something goes wrong, but he makes it clear he's still not interested in pursuing a relationship at the moment. It would almost be comical, except he can't see her fitting into the Team Arrow dynamic. He sighs, walking slowly back to his car. His phone blinks a green LED for unread text messages and he glances at the text from Felicity telling him to go home. That she's okay.

Good, he thinks. It's been a stressful day. He needs some sleep.

...

"You're still here." Oliver stops at the foot of the stairs, eyes latched on to the IT girl lounging in the computer chair.

Her eyes land on him and she rises from her seat onto bare feet to pad across the concrete floor, reaching out to grab his leather clad hand. He squeezes her hand, pulling her closer. "Are you okay?"

She nods, meeting his eyes as he lifts her chin with his other hand. "I'm fine."

He raises his eyebrows, not diverting his attention from her face. "You were kidnapped because I couldn't get to you in time."

"I volunteered. My life, my choice, remember?"

He sighs, shaking his head before running a thumb over her cheek. Her breath catches in her throat. Feeling like an idiot for such a reaction, her face burns red as he whispers back: "You had me worried."

The snort escapes and she pushes her glasses back up her nose. "Welcome to my life. You think it's easy listening to everything you guys do through the comms and not knowing if you're okay? It leaves a lot to the imagination, and not the fun exciting part of your imagination. That said, I'd prefer not to have a repeat of tonight. Almost getting killed does not make the list of approved nightly activities." She blushes at the insinuation. "Not that I have a list. That was just a saying. There's nothing behind that."

Oliver chuckles, finally dropping his hand from her chin. "And now I have no doubt you're going to be just fine. Do you need me to take you home?"

Felicity shifts under his gaze. She wasn't planning on heading home anytime soon...or at all really as she already knows she's not getting a lick of sleep tonight and at least here she knows she's safe. She associates it with safer, happier memories. Not that there are bad ones in her apartment, but there's something about the foundry that makes her feel at home in a way her apartment doesn't.

"Felicity?"

She shakes her head and forces a smile. "It's just that I have a lot of work to do and-"

His hand rests lightly on her shoulder as he raises her eyes to meet his once more, surprised by the understanding she finds there.

"I actually was wondering if I could crash on your couch. I just don't want to go back to the empty mansion."

She smiles in relief, thankful she doesn't have to do the embarrassing and ask. She'll also get some sleep tonight. So she nods, feeling lighter than she has since they got this case. Suddenly sleep doesn't seem as elusive and peaceful dreams seem attainable. She tries not to think about the implications...

...


	10. Crucible

**Crucible**

"Please explain to me _again _what we're doing here," Tommy whispers in Felicity's ear as they back away from the fifth couple, dressed in elegant gowns and suits. With his hand at the small of her back, he leads her to the bar.

Felicity forces a smile as she glances around at the investors sipping on their expensive wine and nibbling on appetizers she can't pronounce. If Tommy hadn't accompanied her, she probably would have flubbed a thousand times more. "Well, Oliver's out on mission and someone needs to be here to talk to investors." She nods to a woman in pristine business suit. The woman grandly ignores her and Felicity huffs in annoyance. "And he owes me big time for this."

She turns away from the crowds to the bartender, reaching across with a genuine smile for a glass of red. "Finally." She closes her eyes for blissful sip before turning back to Tommy. "All these people keep giving me that look, the one where they judge me because I'm the pretty assistant to the playboy CEO. So all these people think I slept my way to my job and don't really respect me because of that. And now he gets to go hit people while I'm forced to play nice. You didn't have anything to do tonight, so-"

"So you brought me here to suffer with you. You do realize that to all these people I'm the son of a murderer, right?"

Felicity pauses with the glass resting against her lips. Frowning, she lowers it to notice his self-deprecating smirk. "Sorry...I didn't think about that."

"Its fine, Felicity. Let's just get Oliver back as soon as possible." Tommy smiles as another group looks back at him, glancing surreptitiously away as he makes eye contact. He steals her cup of wine, taking a larger sip as Felicity activates the comm in her ear. She jumps as gunshots pierce through the comm speakers.

"Are those gunshots?" She whispers into the comm, turning back towards the wall, away from prying eyes. "Just get back here as soon as you're done." She turns back to the investors, fake smile returned to its place as she regains her glass of wine.

"We'll be there in ten," Digg answers before another volley of shots, echoes in her ear and Felicity flinches, sloshing the wine accidentally. "Better make that fifteen."

"Make it quick. I'm getting suspicious glares." She smiles again at another brunette sneering down her nose.

"I'll be there," Oliver growls in her ear as Felicity meets the frosty eyes of another brunette. At least this time she knows it's not because she thinks Felicity slept her way to the top. Laurel finishes her glass off before dropping it with a waiter and waltzing over in their direction.

"I'm going to go talk to Mr. Preston." Felicity points and escapes the horribly awkward situation she knows is coming. So instead of listening to Laurel make nice with her while flirting shamelessly with Tommy, Felicity surrendered to the leering smile and wandering hands of Mr. Preston, the oldest Board member who was already looking for wife number six.

Tommy stares after his favorite blonde, frowning as she disappears into the crowds after making such a big deal about him coming out here with her that she basically blackmailed him with old pictures from a frat party where he got a little too drunk and took some very unfortunate pictures.

"Tommy! I wasn't expecting to see you here." He straightens from leaning against the bar, turning to face Laurel Lance with his winning smile.

"I got dragged along by a rather insistent Executive Assistant." Tommy gestures in Felicity's general direction, reaching for another, new glass of wine. His hand wraps around the glass before he rethinks the choice and drops it back on the bar, stuffing his hands in his pockets once again while smiling. Felicity Smoak was good for him. She wasn't exactly a champion of staying sober – she drank more wine than anyone he had ever known – but ever since the night he talked to her after seeing Oliver and Laurel together, he didn't feel the need to drown his problems in copious amounts of alcohol. It's funny how life changes you without you even realizing it.

"I noticed you were here with Felicity. Shouldn't she be escorting Oliver around?" Laurel's eyes search the room as if she hadn't been looking for him earlier. "Speaking of, where is the man of the hour?"

He shrugs, following her glance around the room and using the opportunity to check in on Felicity smiling almost painfully at the Board members she was talking to. She meets his eyes and grimaces compassionately at him. He raises his eyebrows in a question, but she turns back to her company as the Board member runs his hand down her arm and she pulls away slightly.

He pulls himself back to the moment at hand and Laurel's curious look that's burning a hole in his side. "Oliver...got held up. He's on his way now."

"Really, Tommy? That sounds like a line."

"Maybe it is." Tommy finds he doesn't care what she thinks. He turns back to the bartender. "Can you get me a glass of water? Thanks."

"Water?" He turns back to Laurel's unimpressed, haughty face. "Suddenly you're not drinking anymore, Tommy?"

He shrugs calmly as he takes the glass, condensation dripping down the side. He raises it in cheers to the man behind the bar. "Thank you." Laurel's brown eyes are glued to him as he takes a deep sip. He shrugs. "I just don't feel the need to drink tonight."

He raises an eyebrow at her full glass of red wine, but declines to comment as he takes another sip of water and notices the entrance of Queen Consolidated CEO. Oliver tosses him a smirk and walks in, immediately shaking hands with every investor he runs into. Laurel follows his line of sight and Tommy rolls his eyes, wondering why Laurel is continuing to talk him when she keeps following Oliver around with her eyes. It makes him wonder what exactly she wants from him.

"Looks like Oliver is here. I'll leave you two to talk." Tommy walks away, nodding to his friend as he leaves to rescue the bubbly blonde being pursued by the aging Mr. Preston.

Felicity's face hurts from smiling so wide at Mr. Preston as she tries to smother the goosebumps that cover her arms from his inappropriate touching, not to mention the leers that make her feel completely naked and not in a good way. Not that there's a good way to feel naked when some old guy is staring at you. She's pretty sure it only feels good when it's someone you love. Not that she has much experience in that department. Sure, she's been to bars where sleezy guys look at you like they're undressing you, but it's never been wanted before. A boyfriend every now and then: sure. But it usually it was around the time they were actually undressing her so it wasn't that bizarre.

"Felicity, this is where you disappeared to!"

Her smile turns genuine as she turns to face Tommy, relaxing back into the hand he rests on the small of her back. "Tommy! Mr. Preston, have you met Tommy Merlyn? Tommy, this is Mr. Preston. He's on the Queen Consolidated Board of Directors."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Preston." Tommy fixes his smile on his face as the elderly man's face falls, adapting a mask of polite indifference.

"Mr. Merlyn." His eyes dart around in search of something else. "Oh, look, I need to talk to Julia over there. It was nice talking to you Miss Smoak."

Felicity hands her glass off to a waiter and takes the glass of water from Tommy, taking a sip. "Thank you for the rescue."

"Happy to a social pariah." Tommy sighs, shooting her a half-hearted glare as he takes his glass back.

"How'd things go with Laurel?" Felicity nods in the direction he came from.

Tommy resists the urge to turn around. "She's talking to Oliver now."

"Yeah, but she's staring over here." Felicity throws him a knowing smile.

"So is Oliver..." Tommy mutters under his breath.

"What?"

Tommy smiles innocently back. "Nothing. I said nothing."

"Why don't I believe you?" Felicity ponders, half-curiously. Now's not the time to grill Tommy on his muttered comments. She frowns as she stares at Laurel. "Tommy...that masked girl: she showed up when Laurel and Detective Lance were kidnapped, right? But not when I was?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Felicity frowns, wheels in her head turning so quickly Tommy can almost see smoke coming out her ears. He follows her gaze to Oliver and Laurel talking. "It's just...an idea..."

...

"Roy, can you grab a couple more bottles of vodka? We seem to be just flying through the stuff." Tommy looks up from his clipboard, searching for the red hoodie as it disappears around the corner into the store room. "And a bottle of wine!" he adds as his eyes fall on Felicity emerging from basement, glasses in hand as she massages between her eyebrows.

"No rest for the good computer tech, huh?"

"Please tell me you have coffee." Her eyes are barely open as she collapses on the bar, groaning as her arms fold under her head in an improvised pillow.

Tommy shakes his head. "You're lucky we're friends, Smoak. Did you even go home last night?" He pulls out the new espresso maker he got expressly for Felicity and her late nights. She's dragged him to her favorite coffee shop, Café Expressions, enough times that he knows her favorites. He glances back over his shoulder in her direction.

"Yup. I came in after lunch to fix the systems, but I underestimated how much coffee I would need. Plus I guess I drank a little too much last night, so I might be a little, itty-bitty, bit hungover, which makes me very glad I work underground."

Tommy chuckles as he places a steaming mug in front of her. She melts into her first sip, moaning without realizing it. She gives him a tired thumbs up. "Alright, Merlyn, you officially make the best coffee in Starling City. How did you do that?"

"I made an investment." Her eyes eagerly follow his finger to the machine and her eyes light up.

"Have I ever told you, you're my favorite person in the whole world?" She balances on the stool to press a kiss to Tommy's cheek.

"I'm hurt, Blondie! Who do you think actually set that thing up?" Roy lets out a disgruntled grunt as he drops a crate of alcohol on the bar. She leans over and pecks Roy on the cheek too.

"Thank you, Roy." She falls back onto her seat with a happy bounce, now full of energy again. "Although, you didn't actually make the coffee, so right now he's still the best person in the world."

"Careful, Blondie: you're going to give him a bigger head." Roy ducks Tommy's half-hearted swing to his head.

"Is that any way to talk to your boss?" Tommy asks, continuing to move clean glasses to the empty spots under the bar. "Remember who signs your paychecks."

"I'm sorry Oh great and powerful Boss. I will forever bow in your magnificence." He gives an exaggerated, sweeping bow.

"As you should." Tommy nods.

"I hope you're not torturing my boyfriend, Tommy. I'd like him in one piece."

"Thea!" The aforementioned boyfriend vaults over the bar to wrap his girlfriend in a hug, which turns into a mini make out session which had Tommy closing his eyes and muttering a prayer under his breath.

"He's obviously in one piece so can you give me my employee back?"

Felicity smirks over her coffee at Tommy acting like the older brother as Roy returns to his work unloading and Thea slides into the seat next to her.

"So, Lissy, what are you doing here?"

Rather than point out for the hundredth time that she doesn't like the nickname, Felicity smiles. "I was in the area and decided to stop by."

"For coffee?" Thea raises an eyebrow, glancing at Tommy who meets her eye as he glances up from the books now splayed out on the counter in front of him.

"Well, I was tired so Tommy made me some. I didn't come here with the express intent of getting coffee. Who comes to a bar to get coffee? That's just weird. Like I said, I was in the area...and just decided to drop by. Unannounced. And I was yawning so Tommy made me coffee."

"Smooth, Smoak," Tommy mutters, turning the books to her. "Does this add up right? I think something's missing."

Thea watches over her shoulder as Felicity runs through the numbers, nodding along as she still sips the mug of coffee. She glances between the two and then at Roy who shrugs noncommittally to her unasked question.

"So basically, you stopped by and Tommy is caffeinating you in exchange for you looking over his horrible math skills."

Tommy nods in agreement.

"Hey, he did better in math than your brother, which is a lot to be thankful for."

"How do you know how my brother did in math?"

Felicity jerks upright, her mouth falling open as she realizes her flub. "Umm..."

"I mentioned it once after she was going on about MIT," Oliver offers, coming in from the back, a charming smile on his face. He glances at her mug and sheepishly holds up a still-steaming to-go cup. "I picked you up a cup of coffee, but it looks like you're already covered."

Felicity immediately perks up, hopping off the stool. "Mint mocha?" Oliver nods and she gleefully takes the cup. She takes a sip and sighs before smiling beatifically up at him. "You are a God, Oliver Queen."

"Looks like you got usurped, Tommy," Roy teases behind the bar and Felicity's face turns bright red as what she just said sinks in.

Did she just call him a god? Seriously? That was inappropriate on so many levels. Why can't she just have a filter on her thoughts like a normal person instead of blurting things out like a spaz? She notices Oliver's smirk and winces. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

He nods, his blue eyes dancing with genuine amusement and she can't help but think that men should not look that gorgeous around members of the female persuasion. There has to be a law against it somewhere.

"I ran into a friend of ours on the way here," Oliver says, glancing at the trio at the bar, talking among themselves.

"A friend? As in a woman in black leather who likes to beat up bad guys going after girls?"

"One and the same."

"Then let's go." Felicity leads the way back into the basement, not bothering to glance back at the trio. "I think I have a lead, but it would really depend on when and where you saw her. I have a running list of confirmed sightings of our woman in black. But I have this idea. See last night at the gala, I was thinking why was she there when Detective Lance and Laurel got kidnapped and not when I was? I mean, it could be completely arbitrary. It was pure luck she was there to rescue me that night. But then I was thinking, what if it wasn't? What if she specifically went for the Lances?...So where did you see her tonight?"

Oliver glances down at her, frowning slightly. "Down on Homer Street. In an alley. If you're right about Laurel, she lives about a block away. But you only have one instance. It's not enough to go on."

Felicity sighs. "If we had more sightings of her, we might be able to put together something more conclusive, but it feels right to me. I don't know. I mean, there has to be a way she's stopping crime and it doesn't feel like its completely random patrols, you know? All the places she's been seen are somewhat concentrated. I just...I don't know and I hate not knowing."

"Hey." Oliver's hand lands on her shoulder. "It's not a bad idea. I'll go patrol and then hang around Laurel, see if anyone shows up."

Felicity nods, turning back to her computers to stare at the maps covered in little dots. There has to be something she's missing. And if anyone can figure it out, it's her. Right?

...

"It's so cool that you own your own club." The blonde in the too-tight black dress, runs a red-manicured hand up and down his arm. He pulls it back to pour more drinks, still flashing her his billionaire smile as he backs away.

"It's a lot more work than it looks like."

"You know it's really sexy." She leans over the counter, her dress not doing much to cover her breasts threatening to pop out the top of her dress. She bites her lower lip as she gives him a once over. "So when can I take you home?"

Tommy reaches past her and takes her glass back. "I'm cutting you off." He drops a glass in front of her. "Have some water."

"I don't need water. I just need you."

"Oh, honey, desperation is never a good tactic," Laurel pulls the girl back into her seat. "Do you need me to call you a cab?"

The blonde sneers at her, but stumbles away to a gaggle of girls who start sending dirty looks Laurel's way. She just smiles and slides into a stool. "Hey, Tommy. Can I get-"

He places a glass of red wine in front of her with a smile. "On the house. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Tommy."

He notices her flirty smile for what it is, but the club is jammed with people and most of them are trying to get his attention for a drink. The world is simply a haze of mixing drinks, sliding glasses across bar, taking money and credit cards along with drink orders. As usual, the hundreds of faces blend together until one brunette leaning over the counter catches his eye and he smirks as he makes his way over.

"I didn't think you were going to be in Starling anytime soon." He winks at Mellie, dropping a dark beer on the counter in front of her.

She smiles back. "I'm here for a visit. Lissy wasn't in her apartment so I figured I'd come here to visit you. You look like you could use some help."

He raises an eyebrow and glances around the busy bar, considering the possibility for a crazy moment. "You know how to bartend?"

"That's how Lissy and I made spending money in college."

"I have to keep you around, Mellie. I keep learning new things about Smoak when you're around." He glances at the crowded bar and leans closer. "Okay. You help bartend, I'll split the tips, and give you a place to stay."

"Deal." She smirks, coming around the bar, pulling her hair back and wrapping an apron around her waist. With a huge smile, Mellie hip checks Tommy out of the way. It surprises a laugh out of Tommy before he buckles back down to work, giving the other bartender, Vanessa, a chance to take a break.

Tommy's too preoccupied, and he doesn't notice the glasses Laurel continues to tuck away at the end of the bar, glaring at the new bartender as she laughs and jokes with Tommy between filling orders. And neither notices as she stumbles away from the bar and back to her car.

...

Felicity taps her fingertips against the metal desk, staring at the blank computer screens, waiting for more information through the comms. She glances sideways at Digg, who flips through a paperback. She spins around in the chair, popping her lips. Oliver mentioned that he found the girl over the comms and then his communications disappeared.

"Do you thi-"

"He's alright, Felicity." Digg doesn't bother to look up from his book as he flips through the pages too fast to be actually reading a single word on the pages.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'm back." Felicity spins back to the stairs, standing and rushing to his side.

"Are you okay? Did you find out who she was? Did something happen to you?"

"It's Sara Lance. The woman in black is Sara Lance." He drops his bow on the table with more force than necessary.

"Sara Lance as in dead Sara Lance? As in the sister you took with you on the yacht while you were dating Laurel? That Sara Lance?" Oliver grimaces as he nods. Felicity grimaces and pokes him in the chest. "You said she died when the boat went down, but...she didn't..."

No. She doesn't want answers, Felicity decides. She doesn't want to know about Oliver and the island of women he was apparently marooned on. Shado...Sara...who knows how many other women were there too? She shouldn't feel this hurt anyway. What's wrong with her? She drops into her computer chair, spinning away from Oliver because she finds she can't look at him right now without feeling outrageous anger.

"She's here to check in on her family." Oliver rests a hand on her shoulder and Felicity shifts uncomfortably until it slips from her shoulder. "I don't know if she's going to stay."

"Great. Well, did you thank her for saving my life? Because she did." Felicity sighs. She can't be angry at Sara. All her annoyance is focused, mysteriously on the man in front of her. She's still not going to dissect that sentiment. She spins and grabs her purse leaning against the desk. "And on that note I'm headed home for a much needed sleep." She waves goodnight to her boys without looking over her shoulder, not interested in the confused puppy-dog face Oliver is most likely sporting.

Upstairs, she moves towards the bar to say goodnight to Tommy, but sees him working alongside Mellie, a genuine, carefree smile lighting up his face and she can't bear to interrupt them. She's not sure what that is, but she's not about to come between them so she just heads home and falls into bed with a contented sigh.

...

"So you work here now?" Mellie, walks past Felicity to stare out the floor-to-ceiling window, enjoying the sight of the city spread out below. Felicity watches as Mellie frowns, taking in the destruction of the Glades, a scar on the city, one healing over but a scar all the same.

Felicity glances over her shoulder. "Yup. Here on the top floor. As executive assistant. To Oliver Queen." She scowls at her computer, glancing sideways through the glass wall to her boss talking to Sebastian Blood, probably trying to convince him that Oliver was a good guy who cared about the city after he missed the first gala he set up in honor of the city in favor of stopping a gun-toting gang.

"So is this a promotion or a demotion?"

A groan passes Felicity's lips and she resists the urge to bang her head against the desk. "I wish I could figure that out. So what do you want to do tonight? I have my guest bedroom all set up and a stack of unwatched chick flicks just for us."

"Actually...I'm staying elsewhere." Mellie bites her lip, keeping her back to Felicity, but she watches her friend's reflection in the glass, smirking.

"Well, then, you can just invite Tommy. Or maybe you can get him to host because he's TV is waaay bigger than mine. Not that it's a thing about size. I've actually never seen his...you know. There's no reason to. I mean, there was that kiss, but it wasn't anything. And I saw the two of you last night so don't tell me there's not something going on there. Which is great because I love the two of you and I'm happy for both of you. So happy!"

"Whoa! Slow down, Lissy. We're not a thing. We're just having fun. It's a friends with benefits kind of deal."

Felicity tilts her head to the side. She doesn't buy it. She knows them both too well. They've gotten attached. Sure, she and Tommy were close and would joke and flirt like Tommy and Mellie had, but the touches were so much more loaded than the ones she and Tommy shared. Needless to say, she doesn't believe a word from her friend's mouth, but she vows not to get involved. They'll figure it out themselves.

They pause in conversation as Sebastian Blood walks from the office, nodding politely to the two women before disappearing into the elevator. Oliver exits his office, jaw working as he joins the two women, preoccupied in his own thoughts.

"Felicity..." His eyes land on Mellie and he pauses, offering her one of his billionaire smiles. "Hi! Sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Mellie. I'm one of Lissy's friends from college. We were roommates for two years. And you're the illustrious Mr. Queen." Mellie shakes his hand as she appraises him.

"Please, call me Oliver." He glances sideways at Felicity, watching their interaction carefully. "It's nice to meet old friends of Felicity's."

Mellie nods. "I also need to approve of all new friends. Tommy, Roy, Thea, and your bodyguard have already passed inspection, but I'm still withholding judgment on you."

Oliver's mouth falls open and he turns around to meet Diggle's amused smirk. "Don't look at me. She's already interrogated me. Not as scary as my CO in Afghanistan, but just as thorough."

"Well, as long as you don't disrupt my work, you can ask me anything you want." He turns back to Felicity, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Felicity, Sebastian is setting up a gun drive to collect the guns in the Glades in exchange for cash. Can you make sure my accounts are there for the payments?"

"Got it. By the way, your next appointment is with Marketing in twenty minutes. Here's all the information you need." She hands him a manila folder. "And then we have to go through the contracts on your desk. Those need to be completed by the end of the week. But the good news is that there are no other appointments for today. Just make sure you actually pay attention in the meetings, okay?"

Oliver nods, squeezing her shoulder one more time before he disappears to a meeting he'd rather skip. He pauses in the doorway, turning back. "And about that other thing..."

"Don't worry. I'm working on it." He flashes her a genuine smile before moving back towards the elevator. Felicity rearranges the folders on her desk before pulling up his forms on the computers. Felicity notices her friend's raised eyebrows and frowns. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Mellie raises her hands in front of her, sharing a smirk with John Diggle. "Absolutely nothing at all. Is it always like this?"

"It's just normal work," Felicity answers, shrugging it off as she calls the bank. She doesn't see Diggle nod to her friend with a smirk as they exchange knowing looks. Mellie leaves soon after to do some shopping and Felicity spends the better part of the day researching the Mayor and coming up empty handed. Why couldn't the bad guys just put all their information online? It would make her life so much easier.

...

"So they are literally like that _all the time_?" Mellie whispers in Tommy's ear as across the room, Felicity jokes with Oliver and he grins more than she saw him grin in the past three days.

Tommy snorts. "I know, right? They're sickeningly touchy-feely and they don't even realize it." He rolls his eyes. "And at least you're not Digg: he's around that all day. So...does he pass your test?"

Mellie frowns at the pair. "He seems to make her happy, but I still reserve the right to beat him up if he breaks her heart."

"Get in line," Tommy mutters. "I think Digg has called first dibs."

Mellie considers it, glancing sideways at Tommy. She assesses him. "You're right. He probably has the best chance."

He throws his head back laughing at the truth in her words. Digg's the only one that has any chance and even he would lose in an all-out fight. Granted, Oliver would most likely stand still for the punch if he broke Felicity's heart. Felicity and Oliver look back over at them, but then Felicity's phone beeps an alert, which has her passing the phone off to Oliver and standing.

"That was my landlord. There's something wrong in my apartment. I've got to go check on it."

"Let me give you a ride." Oliver stands, hand immediately landing on the small of her back. "Thanks for having us over, Tommy."

As soon as they're out the door, Mellie turns back to Tommy. "They are totally secretly dating."

Tommy sighs. "If only."

"Come on! That was the lamest excuse ever!" Mellie bounces on the couch as she turns to face him. "They're totally doing it! They touch all the time and she makes him smile."

"Yeah, but I can assure you there is nothing going on. Smoak let it slip on one of her rants a couple days ago – a colorful one, I might add. I've been trying to push them together, but they're both a particular kind of stubborn."

She laughs, settling back into Tommy's arms. "You got that right."

Tommy pauses as he finds a smile lifting the edges of his lips. He wraps his arms around her as they settle in for the movie still playing. He doesn't know when it happened, but Mellie fits perfectly in his arms and he feels more comfortable with her than he ever has with any other girlfriend, including Laurel. Of course, they haven't defined his more than just being friends, but he wants to. All he needs to do is figure out how to do it.

...


	11. League of Assassins

**The League of Assassins**

"We're having a movie night...well, it's basically sunrise so I guess that would make it a movie morning...movie day? Whatever. We're having one." Felicity announces, bursting into Tommy's Verdant office holding a stack of five DVDs and a box of popcorn.

He glances up from his pile of receipts for the night, raising an eyebrow at the blonde still dolled up in one of her professional "Executive Assistant" dresses as she drops into the seat across from him and kicks off her matching heels. He smiles wryly. "Busy day?"

"We caught the Mayor tonight. Yay us."

Tommy frowns at her tone, leaning forward. "So why don't you sound excited?"

"Hmmm? No. It's great. Good news. I mean, it could have gone better. Roy's friend, Sin, is in the hospital, but she's going to make a full recovery. We know who the woman in black is, which is good, I guess. And there's no more bad guys handing out guns in the glades. So yay!"

"So why the movie night?" Something has to be bothering her. She only insists on movie nights when she's stressed. And it just being a rough day doesn't completely explain it. She's been known to crash in his office on really really late nights that turn into days. This doesn't fit that category.

She huffs, buying herself time to think. His frown returns, not believing her as she shrugs it off. "I just need a break from the dark, broody hero stuff."

"Uh-huh. What does this have to do with the woman in black?" It's not the only thing that could be bothering her, but Tommy has a hunch.

'What?" She starts, sitting up straighter. He knows that question hit home. "This has nothing to do with her. Why would it have anything to do with anything? I didn't say that. I just want to watch movies. Movies are fun. Plus we haven't had much time to spend together, Tommy. Do I really need an excuse for a movie night?"

He sighs at her ramble. "Are you going to tell me, Smoak, or do I have to ask Oliver?"

"Ask Oliver what?"

She freezes at Oliver's voice coming from behind her. Tommy notices. Something happened there too. She bites her bottom lip and Tommy wonders what exactly is going on. "Ask you...what's up with the woman in black? Felicity says you found her."

Oliver shifts. Tommy can see him weighing his options, his eyes indecisive for a moment before they harden in determination. "We know who she is," he confirms.

"Really?" He glances between the tense couple, but neither seems ready to volunteer the information. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Felicity glances back at Oliver, pushing her glasses nervously back up her nose. Obviously, he's going to have to go through Oliver to get any sort of straight answer to hi question, and Oliver, as always, appears reluctant to share.

"It's not my secret to tell," Oliver finally says, meeting Felicity's eyes for a second before turning his attention back to Tommy. "Besides, it's probably better if you don't know anyway."

Their reluctant smiles are painful to look at because Tommy can tell he's not the only one who knows how fake their expressions are. Still, he nods slowly, continuing to absorb the tension between his silent friends. It thickens as no one speaks, growing until you could cut the air with a knife and Felicity finally stands.

"Well, I'm going to go home. It's like six a.m. but I might as well get _some_ sleep, especially since I get to sleep in for once. I guess I'll see you in the morning...or afternoon...or evening...whenever I wake up." She grabs her stuff all in a jumble so it overflows in her arms, shoes included in the mess so she walks barefoot out the door.

"I can come over tomorrow for a movie day," Tommy offers, feeling bad.

She smiles warmly, nodding. "Sure."

Tommy shifts his frown back to Oliver as the IT girl slips past him. Oliver stops her with a hand on her shoulder and whispers quietly to her, both staring into each other's eyes. He wouldn't all it their typical open love and admiration that he is always a witness to, but that whatever Oliver says, the tension seeps out of Felicity and she leans into his touch before leaving with a tired smile.

Oliver turns back to Tommy, weariness lurking in his eyes. "I'm going to head out too."

"Oliver..." He doesn't know how to ask what he wants to know, but Oliver waits patiently in the door. "Is she really okay? She seems stressed."

Oliver runs a hand over his jaw. "She's just dealing with some new information. There was a bit of an argument earlier and she's just annoyed with me."

"What did you do?"

He doesn't argue the point, instead running a hand through his short hair. "I didn't tell them something and I yelled at her and Digg. And we've been working since then. I just...a lot happened today. It was tough on all of us."

Tommy rolls his eyes at his pig-headed best friend. "And did you apologize?"

He nods solemnly, turning away to wave over his shoulder. "'Nite Tommy."

His friend disappears, leaving Tommy shaking his head and wondering what exactly happened in the basement tonight and why it has everyone agitated.

...

Felicity scowls at the sun rising through her window as she drops the movies and popcorn on her kitchen table, kicking her shoes under piece of furniture so she won't trip over them later, because she knows that will undoubtedly happen while she's stumbling around in a sleepy stupor. She starts down the short hallway to her bedroom but pauses to glance sideways at a figure on her couch that shouldn't be there. She's too tired to even jump in surprise as she moves sideways to collapse on the opposite end of the couch, legs coming up to rest on the coffee table.

"I didn't expect to find you here." She glances to the side at the blonde in black leather, her matching mask discarded on the table.

Her companion shrugs. "I found myself here. Sin's still in the hospital."

Felicity sighs. "Do I want to know how you found out here I live?"

"The night that gang attacked you, I followed you and Oliver back here. I was surprised you knew him." Sara finally turns to meet her eyes, her brown ones sad. "Is he the one who taught you to fight?"

Felicity relaxes further into her couch, shaking her head against the cushions, far past worrying about the messy hair as a result of that friction. "Nope." She speaks around a yawn. "Digg's been working with me. He thinks I should be able to protect myself. Oliver's all he-man, protect woman, but he's taking it more seriously since that incident. Thanks for that, by the way."

Sara nods as Felicity wrestles with another yawn and loses. If she doesn't move now, she's going to fall asleep where she sits. So she forces herself to sit back up, fighting off yet another yawn. "If you want, feel free to crash on my couch. I can even get you some pajamas. That leather doesn't look too comfortable."

"Thank you," Sara whispers as she shuffles sleepily into her room, returning with a big, blue t-shirt sporting a red fez with a sonic screwdriver and lighter blue shorts covered in blue police boxes. Felicity sets them on the couch with a pillow and a colorful knit blanket she had gotten last December from her elderly neighbor.

She leaves the other woman behind to make her own choice, falling face-first into her own bed after pulling on a large t-shirt. She feels the softness of the pillow on her face before she succumbs to the bliss of sleep.

...

It's the aroma of freshly brewed coffee that shocks life back into her body. Barely opening her eyes, she reaches for her nightstand, snagging her glasses. She takes a deeper breath now and she catches the scent of bacon as well. Her clock reads 11:47 and she sighs. A little over five hours of sleep. That's actually a pretty good night.

She pulls her hair back into a messy bun, sighing contentedly as she stuffs her feet into fuzzy, pink slippers. The smell gets stronger as she opens her door and moves towards the quiet voices in her kitchen. Her blanket is neatly folded on top of the pillow on the couch, but the pajamas she brought out are gone. She takes it as a good sign. Sara's not such a bad house guest if she makes breakfast.

"You didn't need to make food...not that I mind," Felicity mutters as she enters the bright yellow room, stopping as she finds two people in front of the stove. "Mellie? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you, too, Sleeping Beauty." Mellie smirks, flipping an omelet in the frying pan. "Your coffee is on the counter."

Felicity pours herself a cup, glancing between Mellie and Sara nervously, but they both appear to be getting along. It makes her uneasy, this meshing of her two worlds. She's seen Sara fight off a gang of men, while Mellie gets her way by taking control of situations with her extremely loud voice. She needs more caffeine to deal with this, so she slowly sips at her coffee, sighing into caffeinated bliss.

"Tommy said you had a rough day yesterday so I decided to surprise you with muffins. Except you were asleep, so Sara let me in and I decided to make us all breakfast."

"Tommy?" Felicity's eyebrows knit together. Was Mellie _still_ staying with him?

"Yeah, I had an interview this morning, but I saw him before he went to bed. He works crazy nights over the weekends. He got back as I was getting ready to walk out the door. He said you mentioned something about a movie night, and you only do those when you need stress relief."

"An interview?" This is definitely new to Felicity. She would have remembered Mellie mentioning looking for a job in Starling. "Are you staying in Starling? Wait! Are you _living _with Tommy now?" She definitely would have remembered Mellie _or Tommy_ telling her that. In fact, she can't believe neither of them told her. She would be pissed if she didn't find them so adorable.

"What? No! I'm just staying with him right now. We're _not_ together. But yes, I am moving to Starling. You know, I want to do disaster relief, and right now, Starling is the place to do that."

Felicity nods slowly, glancing sideways at Sara who doesn't display any reaction other than to take another sip of her coffee. She doesn't know what she expects Sara to do as she listens in to conversations she has no context in, but she feels vaguely uncomfortable with a complete stranger listening to their personal conversations.

She turns back to Mellie. "So...you're moving to Starling and you didn't tell me?"

Mellie snorts, hands landing squarely on her hips as she turns to face Felicity, who is suddenly regretting her choice of words. "I would have told you sooner, _Lissy_, if you were actually _home_. This was my first stop two nights ago, but I couldn't find you. And then there was that whole double-date thing-"

"What double date thing? That wasn't a double date!"

"-Which leads me to another question: what was the emergency in your apartment that had you and Heart Eyes leaving in such a hurry? Because nothing looks wrong to me."

"Heart Eyes?" Sara asks, suddenly interested as she glances between the two girls.

Felicity grimaces. "He does not have heart eyes! Why would you even call him that?"

Mellie, however, ignores Felicity's comment, turning to face Sara with a sly smile. "It's her boss, Oliver Queen. He literally stares at her adoringly _all_ the time. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were sleeping together, but they're not."

"Oliver?" Sara raises her eyebrows, glancing at Felicity curiously. "Interesting...you said they disappeared...when? Yesterday?"

Mellie nods, happy to have another cohort in crime. "Some bogus excuse about something in her apartment." Felicity grimaces at this description because it's true. She's to get better at telling lies, or maybe just coming up with them. "Like I said: I would have assumed they were coming here for some _fun times_ but I talked to Felicity an hour later and she sounded normal, if not a little stressed."

She might as well give up now and let Mellie come to her own conclusions. In fact, a liaison would make the perfect excuse...except she really doesn't want to get into some fake relationship with Oliver. That would get out of hand way too quickly on her side. She shakes her head. Stop thinking about it, Felicity.

"That would be my fault," Sara says, calling Felicity out of her thoughts. "I showed up in town unexpectedly, and I didn't want my family to know. Ollie and Felicity offered to help me out. I asked them not to tell Tommy, so that's the reason for the excuse. Sorry. I should have remembered they were both horrible liars."

Glancing at Felicity, Mellie pauses. Felicity attempts an apologetic smile in return, but Mellie turns immediately back to Sara. "Really? You know Tommy?"

Sara nods, hopping off the counter to land lightly on her feet. " Haven't seen him in years, but he's still close to my family. At least he was until recently, apparently."

"And you know Oliver?"

"We go way back, Ollie and me."

Felicity swallows an extra-large mouthful of coffee at the reminder that Sara was on the boat – on the island – with Oliver. Mellie looks confused and Felicity searches for something to say...anything. So of course she comes out with the most obvious topic change ever:

"Let's watch a movie!"

...

Felicity turns on the light at the end of _The Princess Bride_, standing to stretch after depositing the blue plastic bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of her. The couch was comfortable six hours ago when they started watching their way through her collection of movies, but now her butt was starting to bother her from all the sitting.

"Alright, I'm ordering takeout. Who wants Chinese?" Felicity turns towards the kitchen, snagging the menu from the drawer next to the phone charger she keeps in the kitchen just in case. There's another down the hall next to her bed. She tries to keep them within reach at all time. Is she a little too connected to her technology? Maybe, but she does work for a vigilante billionaire who likes to call her at all hours of the night so there has to be a grading curve.

She hums as she glances at the clock, glad it's not as late as she thought it was. She still has four hours before 10 when she promised Oliver she'd be in the Foundry. So there's still plenty of time for food. And for her to figure out a way to get Mellie off her tail, which might be easier said than done.

"Do you have a menu?" Mellie asks, pouring herself another glass of water.

Felicity hands it over, moving back into the living room where Sara appears almost relaxed in the corner of the couch. She opens her mouth to speak, but the shattering of glass cuts her off. Her immediate reaction is to turn to Mellie in the kitchen, but a fresh burst of air sweeps through the hole where her window used to be.

Sara crashes into Felicity, pushing her out of the way as Mellie screams in the kitchen doorway. As Sara faces off a man in a black hood, Felicity yanks Mellie back into the kitchen, wincing at the crashes coming from her living room. The man's outfit looks vaguely familiar, although Felicity can't place it. She grabs her phone from the counter and automatically dials Oliver, turning to peek around the corner at the ongoing fight once again.

"Felicity?"

She forgets to talk as Sara flies back into the wall, still holding her own against the man in black but it looks like he might be getting the better of her.

"Felicity!" She jumps at his alarmed shout, finally coming back to herself. "Is something wrong?"

"There's a man here in a black hood. He's after Sara."

"On my way. Stay on the line."

She nods, eyes trained on the fight, phone still pressed absently to her ear.

"We need to get out of here! Call the police!" Mellie tugs on her arm, trying to pull Felicity back, but her eyes spot an opening and she takes it.

Felicity grabs the frying pan now sitting in her drying rack. She delivers a solid hit to the back of the man's head and he falls like a sack of potatoes between her and Sara, to both their amazement. Huh..._Tangled_ was on to something.

Behind her, Mellie screams, and Felicity turns, new weapon held at the ready. By the time she turns back, the man has vanished and Sara is herding her and Mellie out of her apartment and into the windowless hallway. Felicity recognizes Sara's vigilance and readjusts her grip on the frying pan. Something moves down the hall and Felicity inches closer to check on the noise, lowering her phone from her ear.

She raises the pan from her side as a shadow rounds the corner. Oliver catches her hand, frowning at the cast iron pan, but she throws her arms around him in relief. She releases him just as quickly so he can move down the hallway.

He touches Sara's arm lightly, looking them all over carefully. "Is everyone okay?"

Sara nods, her eyes moving back to Felicity with a hint of pride. "Felicity hit the intruder over the head with a frying pan. Nice move, by the way."

Oliver moves into the apartment to do one last look through. Felicity finally looks down at the pajamas she's still wearing and starts towards the apartment. Oliver stops her inside the door.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to get dressed and collect a dirt sample. We should be able to track the guy down," she whispers softly so Mellie can't overhear.

"I already got the sample. We can get you clothes on the way to the foundry...or the mansion." He pulls her by her arm, towards the door.

"Or I could get dressed right now, grab my tablet, and then we can go. He's not still here, right? You checked. So I'm going to get dressed now and I'm not asking permission. Not that I would ever need your permission...I'm just going to go." She slips past him, wondering why she has the constant inability to control her babble around Oliver. Then she remembers how much time he spends around her shirtless, and she's answered her own question.

...

"Mellie! Are you okay?" He pulls her into a hug without really meaning to, relaxing as she hugs him back. Over her head, he spies a not-too-happy Oliver, handing a bag off to Felicity as she slips off to the basement with a futile look in their direction. Oliver offers one of his grimace-smiles.

"I'm fine, Tommy." Mellie pulls back, forcing a smile. "I'm just a little shaken. Really it's not me you should be asking..." She pauses when she only finds Oliver behind her. "Where did they go?"

"Bathroom."

"So I guess the cheering up didn't go too well," Tommy says to distract Mellie from the blatant lie.

"No...it was going just fine until the crazy man in black came in through the freaking window. But Sara was amazing and Lissy took him out with a fucking frying pan! It was like some Disney style shit going down! And then Oliver shows up and no one calls the police! What the hell?! I don't think we should have left your bodyguard to deal with that. We should be giving our statements to the police so they can catch the guy!"

Oliver shrugs. "It's being taken care of."

Tommy has a good idea that the Arrow will be hunting down a certain man as soon as he leaves their presence.

"You know that sounds like scary, mafia shit, right? Like making someone an offer they can't refuse?"

He chuckles at the reference, but something else she said suddenly sinks in, leaving him with a sinking, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Sara? Sara who?"

Oliver grimaces as Mellie winces, Tommy catching both movements in his periphery. It does nothing to ease his discomfort. Mellie offers him a guilty smile. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say anything."

His eyes fasten on Oliver, his mind spinning. There's only one Sara he's ever known well, but it's not possible...except ne would have said the same thing a year ago about Oliver. If Oliver survived, was it possible she did too? Then why wouldn't he say anything?...the fight. Oliver said there was an argument last night in the foundry about something he hadn't told them...Sara was alive...

"Where is she?" They were never close. He's not sure what he's going to do when he sees her, but he suddenly needs concrete proof.

"I'm right here. Hi, Tommy." She's standing behind him, the same haunted look in her eyes that Oliver had when he got back from the island. But she has the same curly blonde hair. He freezes as he meets her eyes, not sure what to do. They were never close, but he feels the need to wrap her in a hug and pull her close for her family if not for himself.

"Sara..." He swallows. There are too many questions he wants answered. "When did you get back? How..."

"It's a long story, but I got back not too long ago. I've been...around." She shrugs evasively, not that she ever gave straight answers to any question she was ever asked.

"She's been helping me out," Oliver offers through gritted teeth and a strained smile that tells Tommy everything he needs to know.

The woman in black. It makes bizarre sense and lines up with Oliver as the Arrow. It's a weird sort of parallelism. It doesn't scrape the surface of his unanswered questions, but it's enough for now. He can always go downstairs later and get more answers, if they'll even give them to him.

"Really? I thought you got in last night?"

He's obviously not caught up on the secrets, because Tommy is completely lost.

Sara snaps with a rueful smile. "Right! I left for a couple of days. I was supposed to come back tonight, so when I showed up last night it was a surprise."

"Does this have something to do with the guy who attacked you?" Mellie asks, frowning at Sara. "If you're having trouble with attackers you should be in protective custody!"

"I can take care of myself."

"But what about Felicity? You put her in danger by staying with her last night."

Tommy glances at a concerned Oliver. Obviously he's not the only one processing this new information if Ollie's scowl is any indication.

"Mellie! It's _fine_. We're all okay. I offered Sara my couch to sleep on. And it's okay. It all worked out fine. And I'm definitely getting you a cast iron frying pan for your new apartment when you officially move here." Felicity smiles at the all, coat and purse hanging off her arm.

"No! It's not okay, Felicity! You already live in a dangerous neighborhood. Any of us could have been killed and instead of calling the police, you called your billionaire boss. _Who does that?_"

Felicity shrugs. "It all worked out fine. We're all here, alive and breathing."

Mellie throws her hands in the air, incredulous. "You're all insane! Well, if none of you are calling the police, I will."

"No need," Felicity intercedes with a polite smile, shifting to pull on her coat. "I already did. I'm heading back now to give a statement. John's still there. He promised to let Detective Lance in." Her smile turns bright as she surveys the uneasy company. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"You certainly like the word fine. Shouldn't we come with you?"

Felicity turns back to her friend. "It's okay. Detective Lance is a friend and Sara...she doesn't want to be involved in a police investigation so I'll leave you out of this as much as I can."

Her mouth falls open. "You're going to lie to the police! _Who the hell are you people?_" She turns on her heel, fleeing the bar without a backwards glance.

A quick glance around, and Tommy finds himself racing after her to catch her in the alley.

"Mellie! Wait!"

"Wait? Sara was just attacked by a man in black who knew exactly what he was doing, and all of you didn't call the police until after we got here and now only Felicity is going back? This whole day has been anything _but_ normal. And you're all so calm! Why can't Sara go back to talk to the detective? This is a problem for the _police_."

He sighs, staring up at the sky. He doesn't want to lie to her. He doesn't want secrets to tear them apart because he's finally feeling love for another woman after Laurel and she's not about to lose it because of Oliver and his lies _again_. So he makes his decision. "Detective Lance is Sara's father and she doesn't want him to know she's in town." Mostly because he thinks she's dead, but Mellie doesn't need to know that. She'll connect the dots soon enough if she looks into it. Part of him hopes she does. "I don't think Oliver and Felicity approve of her decision and I definitely don't, which is probably why they didn't tell me."

"She's in _danger_, and she needs to tell someone who can take care of the problem."

"Maybe she's not telling her family to protect them," Tommy suggests, slowly realizing she came here right after the Undertaking and stuck around. It certainly fits with Felicity's connection between the woman in black and the Lances.

Mellie takes a deep breath, arms locked across her chest as she lets out a huff of air. "So she puts Felicity in danger?"

A good point...Tommy's not thrilled with that development either. At least Oliver keeps her safe and if she goes into the field, she knows the danger. Not that he's happy she puts herself in danger, but he hasn't been able to stop her so far. "You're right. She shouldn't have done that, but Felicity did invite her to stay."

"So? That doesn't make it okay."

"I know it doesn't, but have you ever tried to argue with Felicity when she sets her mind on something? When she sees a way to help someone, you can't talk her out of it. Believe me: I've tried." After the Undertaking and again after the Dollmaker...not that she listened to a word he said in either case.

Mellie shakes her head. "I just need some space from this. I just...I'll find you later."

Tommy watches her walk away. He won't let this end before it starts because of vigilantes. He won't.

...

Felicity walks slowly up to her apartment, pulling the comm from her ear and slipping it into her purse. The dirt sample had been surprisingly easy to trace back to an abandoned sugar factory on the outskirts of the city and Oliver and Sara were already on their way there.

She finds her apartment door open and walks straight into the living room where Lance and Diggle are silently contemplating her destroyed window. She contemplates them curiously. Both are strong men who work with the Arrow and are important to her, even if one of them doesn't know it.

"Thanks for coming, Detective. I know you didn't have to."

He spins around, frowning at the girl. "Miss Smoak-"

"Felicity, please, Detective."

He sighs laboriously. "_Miss Smoak_, what exactly happened here? And why haven't you called the police?"

"I called you." He gives her a look and she shakes her head. "I know it's different, but this has something to do with our mutual friend." To keep up appearances, Felicity pulls him away from Diggle. She can already see him speculatively sizing up Diggle. "Oh, I was talking to Oliver on the phone when the man came crashing through that hole-that-used-to-be-a-window. He insisted on sending John over. I couldn't talk him out of it. And I had my friend Mellie over. I dazed him with a frying pan and he ran away, but Mellie was shaken so I had to get her out of here. But don't worry. Our mutual friend is on the job."

"_Queen_ made you call me?"

"Well, he made me call the police. I decided to just call you. It satisfied his requirements while keeping unnecessary people out of danger. Not that you're unnecessary or anything. It's just that it seemed like the best way to pacify everyone, including our mutual friend." She smiles at the lie-that's-not-a-lie, hating the uneasiness in her stomach but loving the way it all works out so perfectly. She hates lying to this man that she respects. She can see a lot of him in Sara now that she thinks about it. And it breaks her heart that they're in the same city but won't see each other.

"Well, then, it looks like this is covered. I'd best be getting back to work. Let me know if our mutual friend resolves the issue or needs any help."

"Will do, Detective." She nods to him, walking him to the door. She closes it behind him, acutely aware of how ineffective it is when the bad guy already came crashing in through the window.

Glass crunches under her feet as she rejoins Diggle at the window, wrapping her arms around herself at the imagined chill. She stares out into the darkness with a sigh. "Well, this is going to jack up my heating bill."

He doesn't laugh at her joke, just meets her eyes with his customary stony face. He shakes his head. "I'm sure I know a billionaire or two who would offer you a place to sleep. Not to mention, a certain friend standing right next to you. Although they probably have more comfortable beds and all I can offer is a couch."

"Yeah, well, the Queen mansion isn't exactly inviting and Tommy is currently entertaining my friend in his apartment, so that couch is looking pretty tempting."

He snorts at that comment and Felicity smiles to herself, still mentally calculating the price of the window she now needs to replace. She doesn't feel completely justified in requisitioning Oliver's money for this because he's not the cause of the damage and she can't send Sara a bill because it's not really her fault people are after her either. Although...there's still no why. Why would a man in black be hunting down Sara Lance? She's got a questionable choice in boy toys considering she got on a boat with her sister's boyfriend, but as far as Felicity knows, people don't usually try to kill you for that.

"We should get back to the Foundry. Oliver and Sara are going after the man in black and I'd rather work the comms from there. I also have to call the repair guys for this. My landlord is not going to be happy. There's no way I am getting my security deposit back."

...

"Okay...run that by me again. _League of Assassins_? What is that? And please don't say a league of assassins." Felicity stares at her three comrades in the Foundry basement, both men shocked and Sara apprehensive.

Sara's eyes meet hers, sorrow lurking in her eyes. "When I got off the island, I made my way to Nanda Parbat where they remade me as an assassin, a weapon. But I left after the Undertaking to check on my family. There's only one problem. There's only one way to leave the League: in a body bag."

"Wow...so way worse than that gym membership. It took me a year to get out of that." She doesn't know why she just said that. That was probably the stupidest thing to say right now. Sara just admitted to being an assassin and she compared it to a gym membership...She really needs to find a way to create a filter between her brain and her mouth.

"You're cute," Sara whispers, dropping a hand on Felicity's shoulder with a tired smile. "But if they can't find me, they're going to go after my family."

Felicity stiffens and glances at Oliver. His eyes meet hers. "Get me locations on Laurel and Detective Lance. I can keep Laurel company to make sure she's safe, but-"

"I can talk to Detective Lance." Felicity grabs her stuff as she stares at the screen. "Laurel is still at work so you can catch her there. Detective- Officer Lance, just got off work. He's going home. I'll talk to him there, try to convince him to leave town for a little while."

Oliver nods and she heads up the stairs, juggling her keys in her hand until she makes it to the car. She doesn't contemplate whether or not he'll believe her. All she knows is that his only chance of making sure he's safe is to convince him to leave. She doesn't think he'll doubt her intel...then again she definitely should have expected it after the whole League of Assassins thing, not exactly the best idea to lead with that.

"Officer Lance, you are in _danger_! You need to get out of town."

He gives her that exasperated sigh. "Miss Smoak, I am in danger every time I put on my uniform. And all I want to do right now is go up to my apartment and get some rest. You say that man who jumped through your window was a member of the League of Assassins? What would they want with me? I'm no longer a detective, I'm barely even a capable cop according to my superiors. You've got the wrong person."

It pains her not to tell him about Sara as he walks away from her, but she knows he won't listen to a word she said, as much as it pains her to admit it. So instead of following him, she turns around and heads straight back to the Foundry, feeling like a failure because if he gets hurt now, it's her fault.

...

Tommy stops his trained stare on Sara to glance up at Felicity as she comes running down the stairs, annoyance and worry etched in every feature. She doesn't even spare him a smile as she drops into her computer chair.

"How'd it go?" Tommy straightens as he hears the worry lacing Sara's voice.

"He didn't believe me, but would you if I told you the League of Assassins was after you? Well, obviously not _you_ you because you know they exist, but past you who didn't know about them. He was understandably skeptical and I can't exactly force him to leave town. Right now, I'm blocking any electronic way of locating him for his own safety, but I don't think they're going to be using that stuff to find him anyway." Her rapid typing fills the Foundry as Sara turns and grabs a black leather jacket from one of the cool metal tables.

"I'm going to talk to him."

"If you're going, I'm going with you." Digg checks his gun, stepping forward.

Tommy feels like he's seeing these people with different eyes. He recognizes the gesture as almost idiotically heroic. Diggle is putting himself in danger for a woman he barely knows. Sure it might be the right thing to do, but was Mellie right? Did they subject their lives to danger on a daily basis for no reason when the police could just as easily take care of it? Although, he guesses that the police probably aren't equipped to deal with most of this stuff now that he's seen it up close and personal. He shakes off the sliver of doubt, but it's not gone completely.

"Digg, I have to do this. I can deal with the League. They're the ones that trained me."

"Oliver's orders. He doesn't want you getting yourself killed."

"Digg, put the gun down or I will put you down." The tapping of the computer stills at the threat, the whole room seemingly frozen, until the gun lands back on the table and Sara disappears up the stairs two at a time.

Tommy watches Felicity and Digg share a look, before Digg stands and moves over to the punching dummy. Felicity sighs and turns to face him.

"So, how's Mellie?"

He shrugs because he hasn't seen her in the last three hours. "She said she needed some space and that she would find me later. I haven't seen her in Verdant yet and she hasn't texted me or anything."

"She'll come around. It was just a crazy incident."

"But she does have a point. Sara put you in danger by staying with you. Hell, you put yourself in danger every day. You were _bait_ for a _murder who managed to catch you and almost kill you_. So why do you keep doing this?"

Her face shifts through different emotions as she searches for words to justify this. "Because there are people out there who need to be stopped and if I can do something to help stop them, then I need to do it, regardless of the danger I'm in. And most of the time, I'm not on the front lines. I'm right here in my little computer lab where you come check on me every night to make sure I eat and remain at least semi-social."

"But you've gotten to the point where your first instinct when you're in danger isn't to call the police; it's to call Oliver. And Mellie has a point. That's crazy. A normal person would call the police."

"But what we do is not _normal_. Tommy, I trust John and Oliver with my _life_. I know they would so whatever was necessary to protect me because that is what they do. I've had too many bad experiences with the police to trust them implicitly. This, here, the Foundry...this is my safe place. Here I feel protected with these people having my back. So I understand it makes no sense to you, but for me, I _need_ to do this. The poorer people of Starling need someone to protect them. I didn't have that when I was growing up. I lived in a bad neighborhood that I was lucky enough to get out of with a full ride to MIT but some people aren't that lucky. What we do helps."

Tommy sighs, noting the determination and steel in her eyes that grows more persistent as she speaks. She doesn't talk about home a lot, he notices. He knows she went to MIT and that she grew up in Vegas, but that's all he knew until now. And he hates to admit it, but her reasoning makes sense, even if it seems to him to be a little insane. It hits him that he knows what they do, but he could never to it himself because he's not as selfless as them.

He shakes his head with a smile. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you as a friend?"

"Glad you recognize that Merlyn." Her smile finally comes back as she spins in her chair, picking up her phone to glance at the latest text message. "Oliver said we can go home," she calls to Diggle. "It looks like the League was already at Laurel's place but they left before she got home. And I told him Sara went after Detective Lance. It sounds like they've got it handled."

Digg nods. "Do you have someplace to stay?"

"You can stay with me." Tommy doesn't even think about it.

"What about Mellie?"

He shrugs. "I might not save lives every night, but I do have an extra bed that friends are always welcome to crash in, especially perky blonde ones who can't function in the morning without two cups of coffee."

"Thank you."

Tommy nods, tossing her the key. "What are friends for?"

...

_A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It gave me a lot of trouble writing it but I actually liked the route it took in the end. But I would love some feedback so let me know what you thought! And thank you for all the previous kind reviews! You guys are great!_


	12. Keep Your Enemies Closer

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I had a lot I wanted to include and this might be my longest chapter yet. _

_To the guest who wasn't such a big fan of Mellie: Sorry, but she's still around and she will be for a while longer. _

_There are some interesting things that happen in this chapter, so I would be overjoyed by any reviews. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!_

**Keep Your Enemies Closer **

"So she just left?" Tommy slides the coffee mug across the table to Felicity, sitting down across from her in the café.

She nods, taking a sip of the coffee before leaning in. "Yeah. The League is still after her and she wants to protect her family. Detective Lance knows she's alive, but they're not telling Laurel or her mother. Which also means you can't tell Laurel either."

"So you got the job of talking me into agreeing with the plan?" Tommy raises his eyebrows at her and she grimaces, wincing.

"Well, it's a good reason. If they knew Sara was alive, they wouldn't stop looking for her and that would put them in the League's path. The League would _kill_ them, so I think that's a pretty good reason for not telling them. It would only cause them pain."

He can see the uncertainty in her eyes. "You don't agree."

She shakes her head. "Yes...no...I don't know. I know if it was me, I would want to know, but at the same time, I'm not sure I would be able to let my family go if I knew they were alive. Although, with my family, it might be better for me if I let them go. Anyway, if it puts them in danger and they've already accepted her death, what right do we have to go dragging up their feelings again?"

His mind runs through the scenarios and he let out a suffering sigh. "Did you know that several months ago Dinah Lance found a picture from a Chinese island and she swore it was Sara? She and Quentin went digging into it, hoping to find Sara. They only stopped once Laurel found the girl who was actually in the picture and it was confirmed that it wasn't Sara. I hate to say it, but it might be the right idea."

"You sure?" She asks, chewing on her bottom lip. A light green nail taps against the side of the to-go cup as she thinks. He wonders if she's noticed she's been wearing that color more often.

"I think it's the right thing to do, until she's ready to come back." He pulls back from the table. "_If_ she's ever ready to come back."

"She'll figure out a way to come back eventually."

Tommy shrugs. "I'm not so sure. If these guys are that horrible, she might not be coming back. She's had six years and she didn't come back." He holds up a hand to stop her interruption. "Okay, less than that, but she only chose to come back after the Undertaking. If my father hadn't attempted to massacre the Glades, would she have ever come back?" He's starting to think it would have been better for him if had never known Sara was back or at least easier.

"So, how is she?"

Felicity shrugs. "She reminds me of Oliver when I first joined up: disconnected from the world, needing to get back in touch with humanity. I think it would be better if she stayed in one place long enough to make friends. I mean, she's been here for a couple months, but she's been hanging out in an abandoned clock tower with a street kid named Cindy or Sin, apparently. Roy found her and apparently ran into Sara before we knew she was Sara. Anyway she's been on the street for a while now. Apparently her dad was a pilot who's plane went down. I've already talked to Sara and I'm going to fix up the clock tower so it's actually fit for someone to live in."

"Sin? Really? She was taking care of a kid?"

She responds with a nod. "I met her this morning. She reminds me a lot of Roy. She's tough, but I handed her a coffee and told her I was at least getting her a bed. She stopped arguing and told me as long as I brought her breakfast every day, we were good. I think she likes me."

"I'd like to meet one person who doesn't like you, Smoak."

He laughs as she shoots him a disbelieving look over her glasses. "I could give you a list. There's a lot of people back home-"

"Felicity, if you tell me lots of people hate you, I'm going to bet it's because they were only scared because they were so in love with your personality."

"And I'm telling you I'm an awkwardly babbling social outcast who somehow made friends while joining the vigilante club. I mean, I've always been able to charm people with my awkwardness but not to this degree. This is new. And definitely wasn't happening while I was living in Vegas."

Tommy nods. "Do you ever think about going back?"

"To Vegas?" Felicity frowns, scrunching her nose as if she smelled something bad. "Yeah, I've thought about it, but I didn't really have friends there in high school and my mom and I don't really talk so there's not much for me to go back to. Plus, I've been banned from most of the casinos in the city, so it's not like I want to go there to gamble."

"You've been banned from casinos? _You_?" Whenever he thinks about people banned from clubs, they're usually suave players with quick eyes who can read a person flawlessly. It's not a vibe he gets off the friend sitting across the table from him. Sure, he and Oliver have been banned from their fair share of clubs and casinos, but that was usually for unruly behavior. He can't imagine his bouncy blonde friend being banned for that.

"Long story. I learned to count cards when I was younger...huh, I guess it's not that long...Anyway, I won a bunch of money, got caught, and then was banned. So those typical reasons to go to Vegas don't really apply to me."

"So you can count cards?"

"It's all mathematics and probability. That's what I do. Besides, my mom needed the money. It was the only way to get lots of money quickly. Either that or she would marry rich. And trust me: the first idea was the better one."

"So Mama Smoak was a bit of a gold digger?"

Felicity groans, closing her eyes. "God, I hate that word, but basically, yes. There were a bunch of boyfriends-slash-sugar-daddies-slash-husbands my whole entire life after my dad left, but none of them stuck around for too long."

"God. I'm so-"

"Don't you dare apologize! You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault my father left or that my mom was rarely home. My life wasn't so great, but it made me who I am and you said it yourself, I'm pretty awesome."

"Hey, now! I thought I was supposed to be the one with the giant ego." He smirks at her, happy to see her confidence in this conversation.

"Yes, you have the large ego, but I can back up my claims. Plus, you're the one who said it first." She finishes her cup. "Now, I have to get back to work before evil-incarnate shows up at Queen Consolidated. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. See you." He watches her walk away, finishing his last sip of coffee. It was almost 1 pm, but he had just woken up, courtesy of owning and managing a nightclub. Mellie had come back to the club around midnight, helping him with the slow Sunday crowd until they had been able to sneak away.

"Tommy?"

"Laurel?" He glances up, summoning a smile. "How's it going?"

"Things are going well right now. There have been some interesting cases at work. How's the club been going?" She slides into the seat across from him, smiling graciously. It strikes him that her clothes are hanging loosely on her body, far looser than they should. Her face is thinner, strained despite her smile.

"Business has been booming, even with the son of a murderer running the club. Are you sure you're okay, Laurel? You're looking a little thin."

"I'm fine. Work has been rough so I've just been a little stressed out." She shrugs, taking a bite out of a croissant as she offers a smile.

He doesn't believe her. It has to do with the way she avoids his eyes as she takes tiny bites out of the croissant. "Does it have to do with everything with the Dollmaker?"

"The Dollmaker was just your average kidnapping trauma. I'm perfectly fine."

"Laurel...I think I know you better than that. What's wrong?" He leans forward, hating that he knows her that well because he was trying to keep his distance but he can't when he can see that she's so obviously hurting. And as much as he hates to admit it, she's still important to him and he cares about her.

"It's nothing, really, Tommy. I'm just a little stuck in my own head."

He closes his eyes as the guilt gnaws at him, but he already knows what he's about to do and there's no stopping him right now. "You know, we're having a movie night Wednesday in my apartment. You should come. It'll be fun. We watch a couple movies, eat a bunch of popcorn. It'll be great."

She pauses, pursing her lips as she thinks. "Who's we?" She finally asks.

"Me, Felicity, Mellie, Oliver, Thea, Roy, and I think they managed to convince Diggle to come too. Don't ask me what the movies are because I've learned I don't really have much of a choice, even when we watch them at my place."

"Are you sure, it's okay?"

Tommy shrugs. "It's my place. They'll be happy to see you. You can meet Mellie. Just make sure you bring something to snack on. It's sort of a pot luck thing. Just show up. Wednesday at seven p.m." He stands, picking up the empty cup to throw out on his way from the room.

"Sure. I'll be there," Laurel answers, standing to walk with him towards the door. She offers him a bright smile. "So...Mellie's a girl you're seeing?"

He notices the tick in her voice, the hurt threatening to lurk in her eyes. He shrugs. "It's complicated. She was Felicity's roommate. She's moving to Starling to help with the rebuilding after the Undertaking."

"Cool. Cool." She nods slowly as they walk down the sidewalk, the strain of old lovers figuring out their friendship hanging over their conversation. They're somehow not on the same page anymore. Tommy feels out of sync, like he missed a step somewhere along the way and can't find his way back.

He does the only thing he can think of and nods. He and Mellie are good right now, but they're not officially dating or anything. He wants to change that. His phone rings and he glances down at the number. "Sorry, Laurel, this is one of my suppliers. I have to answer. I hope to see you Wednesday. It was great talking to you."

She nods, throwing him a forlorn look that he pretends not to notice as he answers the phone. He won't do what Laurel and Oliver did: the constant back and forth. He hopes she does come to movie night. It might be awkward, but it'll be good for her. At least he hopes so.

...

"Hey, so about movie night...I'm not going to be able to be there."

"What?! This was your idea!" Felicity holds the phone away from her ear at Tommy's outburst. She smiles apologetically across the plane at Oliver and Diggle.

"It was a last minute change of plans. We should be back in a few days. Of course, if we're not that back, that means something went horribly, horribly wrong. Not that anything should go wrong. I'm with both Oliver and Digg. So they'll keep me safe."

"What do you mean, you should be back in a _few days_? Who does that?"

"Oh, you know, billionaires with best friend bodyguards who need to break people out of Russian prisons. Didn't you do stuff like this all the time when you were bored?" She rolls her eyes at the phone and across the plane Diggle snorts. Oliver just shakes his head.

"I would take the private jet place, but I never went to _Russia_ to break someone out of _prison_! So why are you breaking someone out of Russian prison?"

She grimaces. "Well...it's a long story, but Digg needed our help so we're on a plane for Russia."

"Great. And now I'm hosting a movie night without my charming blonde cheerleader to tell people what to do. How am I supposed to handle this?"

"Hey! It's your apartment. You just tell people what to do. You're making it sound like I'm bossy or something! I'm not bossy." Her boys smirk on the other side of the plane, although Oliver clearly tries to hide the uptick of his lips.

"Yeah, but you keep everyone in line. No one listens to me." A bit of a whine creeps into Tommy's voice on the other end, but she knows it's just him being a drama queen.

"Suck it up, Merlyn. Think of it as a double date with you and Mellie, and Roy and Thea."

The groan on the other end confuses her. "It's not just us. I invited Laurel too."

"Really?" She glances at Oliver and Digg, shifting uncomfortably. She never had an easy time talking about Laurel to Tommy or Oliver. She had never really had a longer conversation with the woman. She only knows that at different points both men had been hung up on her. She can't say she understands it. "I thought you were done."

"We are, but I ran into her in the coffee shop yesterday and she looked pretty beat up. So I invited her. She's still my friend."

Felicity nods in understanding. Tommy is her friend and he's loyal to his friends. Loyalty she gets. "Well, then have fun."

"Fun?" Tommy chokes on a laugh. "Not exactly my definition of fun, Smoak."

She grimaces. "Sorry, but you walked right into this one."

"Yeah, but when I did, I was thinking I would have my best friend who can make grown men cower when she uses her loud voice to keep everything in order."

"I don't make grown men cower." She glances back at her teammates. Oliver runs a hand through his hair and avoids eye contact. Diggle smirks at her. "I don't!"

"Whatever you say, Blondie."

"Please don't tell me you're going to start using that nickname too, Tommy!" She rolls her eyes.

"If the shoe fits. You're the one leaving me alone with this mess of people."

"It's your own fault, Merlyn. You invited her. Besides, this is something friends do. It'll be fine."

He hesitates on the other end.

"What are you really worried about?" She knows it's more than just Laurel's presence.

"I...I want to ask Mellie out...on a date. But I'm worried about what she'll say, about how Laurel will take the news. And what about the two of them meeting? What if Mellie says no?"

"Oh my god! Is Tommy Merlyn nervous?" Oliver's head whips around at her question, frowning in her direction. "You are! You're nervous! That's sweet, Tommy."

"Sweet? I was going to go with nerve-racking."

"Just...take Mellie out to dinner tonight. Just the two of you. Make sure she knows it's a date, a date date. She's going to say yes. Don't worry about it." She smiles into the phone. "She'd be crazy to say no."

"Dinner tonight. Yeah. I can do that."

"You got this, Merlyn. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Smoak. Have fun breaking into Russian prison."

"Bye." She clicks off the phone to her boys' amused looks.

"I thought Tommy and Mellie were already dating."

Felicity shakes her head at Diggle. "It was more of a friends with benefits thing, as far as I could tell, but obviously there are some real feelings there."

"So he's finally going for it? It's about time." Oliver nods sagely.

Felicity frowns at Diggle's raised eyebrows and looks upwards as if praying for patience from some divine being. He notices her questioning gaze, but just sighs and returns to tapping his fingers against the armrest as he stares out the plane's window. Oliver shrugs when she meets his gaze and she turns to her own window. She can still feel his steely blue eyes on her as she stares out the clouds.

She almost wishes she was back home for the movie night, but Digg has done so much for her, constantly looking out for her, protecting her and she has to return the favor. He needs her help so she'll be here for him. Mellie was right. Their lives were crazy. Here she is preparing to break into a _Russian prison_ for a woman she's never met because it's important to her friend. There are so many risks, and yet she didn't stop to consider them. Then again, she's not regretting it now. She's just contemplating it from her friend's point of view.

Felicity doesn't even know if she _can_ verbalize why she does this. It's just something she has to do: she can't see someone suffering and turn away. She stands by her friends. She chose to live this life. She continues to choose it every day. And she's not going to change her mind now.

...

"A date?"

Tommy's stomach is in knots, trying to turn itself inside out as he waits for her answer. He can see her trying to sort through all the information, biting her lip as she contemplates him. He can't seem to get comfortable, slipping his hands from his hips to hang loosely to the side, going back and forth between the two. He finally settles on the hips. "Yeah, a date...date. Like dressing nicely, holding hands, maybe a kiss at the end of the night, date."

Mellie bites her lip to hide a smile, nodding. "Okay, Tommy Merlyn. I'll let you take me on a date, but I might want more than just a kiss at the end of the night." She steps closer, grabbing his hands from his hips to clasp them as she rises on tip toe to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

His face splits into a grin. He should have known to trust Felicity. She was always right. He should probably stop doubting her, so he steps back, detaching from Mellie. She whines, slowly opening her eyes with a pouted lip in his direction.

"As much as I want to stay here, I want to do this right. So we're going to go on that date in a couple hours and then we won't get up to any funny business." Her lips sticks out further and she leans in.

"Are you completely sure I can't persuade you otherwise?" She runs her hands up his arms, stepping closer, invading his personal space.

"You can try," he whispers into her mouth, stealing a couple kisses. "But we don't want to miss our reservations and I need to go check on Roy. I'm actually leaving the kid in charge tonight, believe it or not, and I'm turning into some sort of crazy boss who checks in with his underlings constantly. I promise to be back in time for our date."

He presses a lingering kiss to her lips before backing out of the apartment, smile plastered to his face. His phone is out and texting before he thinks twice.

_Guess who's got a date 2nite!_

He hits send before realizing it's an international text and he probably won't get any response. Whistling, he makes his way to his car, nearly skipping with each step. His phone buzzes in response:

Felicity: _Told you :P _

He rolls his eyes as he tosses the phone into the passenger seat of his car, shaking his head. He's ecstatic it worked out. His whole body buzzes with happiness, escaping in a whistle and basic jitters. He can hardly wait for tonight.

"Seriously?!" Roy shouts as Tommy walks through the door. "We went over everything last night and you called me earlier today. I've run the bar by myself before. I've opened up for the night and I've closed for the night. It's a Tuesday for crying out loud! It's not like there's going to be a riot because so many people are trying to get in."

"He's so concerned with working that he didn't even take a break to greet me properly," Thea complains from a bar stool, pouting at her boyfriend. "He wouldn't even give me a kiss."

"Good. That means he's doing his job. Don't you have homework anyway, Speedy?"

She sticks her tongue out. "Whatever. I actually don't have that much to do. I only have a 9:30 class this morning. And I already finished all my homework, so I figured I could keep Roy company."

"All night...in a club...underage...yeah, I don't think so Speedy." Tommy shakes his head.

"Hey! Roy's underage and you let him work here."

"Roy doesn't drink or do drugs. He's a hard worker and I trust him." It's the words that remind him just how much he believes in the boy who a year ago was stealing bags from girls on the street. He's actually learned to like the kid.

"And you don't trust me?! You've known me my whole life!" She throws her hands up in the air in exasperation.

Tommy chuckles. "That's exactly the problem, Thea. I know everything you've ever done, which is how I know about the underage drinking and the drugs. And also how I know you're getting better and working hard. I don't want you to fall back into bad habits." He pulls her into a head lock, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "But don't worry, Thea: I love you anyway."

She rolls her eyes and pushes him away, frowning. "You're acting weird. What's going on?"

"I'm not acting weird. I'm just..." He finds himself smiling again, despite himself. "I have a date tonight."

"A date?"

"Let me guess: with Mellie." Roy smirks at him and Tommy shoots him a glare in return. Roy nods to his confused girlfriend. "The substitute bartender."

Thea nods sagely, but Tommy frowns.

"She's...that's not...She's Felicity's friend. She just helped that one time." He shakes his head at their knowing exchange of glances. He throws his hands in the air and looks over the bar to check on Roy.

Everything is in its proper place, not that he expected anything different. Roy was taking the chance Tommy had given him seriously and he wasn't willing to mess it up. Roy pushes him back from the bar. "Just go get ready for your date, boss. Everything's fine here."

He sighs, glancing around. "Are you su-" He winces at their frowns and disbelieving rolling eyes. "Fine. Fine. I'm leaving. You're right, Roy. I know you've got this. So...don't call me unless something is terribly horribly wrong." The smile returns to his face, goofy in its appearance. He knows he looks like a fool, but it doesn't stop the smile and Thea and Roy's knowing eye rolls.

Now he just has to find something to do for the next couple hours...

...

"I can't believe that woman is here!" Felicity rants, pacing around their shared suite. Of course she's the only one in the room because her boys had to disappear to get a drink. She lets out an exasperated huff, throwing her hands into the air.

"A drink? Really? They had to get a drink and I couldn't come. It would have been too much trouble to take me with them? What the hell is that about? We've been through life and death situations and they won't take me with them to a bar! No...of course not and then I had to run into that horrible woman."

She shudders, pausing in her pacing as she remembers meeting Isabel Rochev in the lobby of the hotel, the woman dressed in her perpetually intimidating tight, black attire. The woman wouldn't recognize her own face if a smile appeared on it. Then again, from what she's seen mirrors probably crack when she looks in them. Milk probably curdles in her general vicinity. She wouldn't be surprised. Maybe she could vanquish her with a properly thrown bucket of water.

She chuckles to herself at the idea of overturning a bucket of ice water on Isabel's head. She spins around. No. She's too nice to do that. Would she like to see Isabel brought down a peg? Sure, but she's not going to pour water over her. If she wants revenge, she's going to do it her way: with her computers, destroying the woman's entire electronic imprint. But she made sure she used her powers for good. Retribution was reserved for her most horrible foes. She sighs, falling into a chair. God, she hates this. She hates sitting around waiting for her boys to come back when she has no way of contacting them. At least on your ordinary night she had the comms on and could hear their voices. Tonight, she was in a foreign country, a hostile foreign country where she didn't speak the language. So basically she's quarantined in this hotel room by herself with nothing to really do.

She curls up in a chair, kicking off her shoes to curl her feet under her as she reaches into her bag. Instead of pulling out her laptop or tablet, she extracts a worn paperback. She stifles a yawn as she digs into the pages of _A Feast of Crows_, settling in as much as possible as she waits for the boys to return.

A couple hours later, they return to her curled in a ball, asleep in the chair with the book forgotten in her lap.

...

He imagined that date going terribly wrong in his head, not for any particular reason except that he was extraordinarily nervous. He could be the suave, debonair playboy, but that's a mask he doesn't want to present to Mellie on their date. He wants to be himself and that self can be awkward and klutzy when he's actually interested in a girl. So, of course, his mind manufactured the most traumatizing experiences, like spilling red wine all over himself, Mellie and the tablecloth. It had stopped him from ordering anything other than water.

He could tell she was nervous too, sitting across the table from him in a maroon dress that clung to her figure and left Tommy's mouth dry. He was drinking his water way too fast, to calm his nerves and she kept looking down at her hands and playing with her earrings, a nervous tick he had noticed. He drops the menu after two minutes of staring at the entrée page without reading a single word.

"This should not be this awkward."

He watches the stress melt away from her shoulders as her eyes meet his. "I'm sorry. It's just, I haven't been on a first date in so long, and I don't know how to pronounce half the stuff on this menu..."

He covers her hand with his, laughing softly. "Hey! I'm just as bad as you are. What do you say we get out of here and do something more our style?"

"Like what?" He smiles at the amusement dancing in her eyes. And just like that, in his gut, he knows this is the right choice.

"I don't know. What do you want to eat? Personally, I'm craving a burger."

Her smile pulls at his heart, making it beat faster in his chest. "A burger sounds great."

"Then come on, I know the best burger joint in town." He drops some cash on the table and leads the way, her hand still in his, out to his car and drives them across town to a little diner.

"Big Belly Burger?" Mellie shoots him a smirk from the passenger seat. "Very classy Merlyn."

"This place makes the best burgers I have ever had. Not to mention the milkshakes. Their milkshakes are to die for."

Laughing, she follows him from the car. "Uh-huh. I will be the judge of that."

They slide into a booth and Tommy flashes back to his first date at fifteen. He had been serious about the cheerleader, taking her out to an upscale restaurant. Everything had been nerves and forced laughter. The whole thing had felt like a show to him, but he had still delivered the expected stiff kiss at the end of the night. Looking back, he wished he had done something like this. Here, he was so much more relaxed. There was no pressure on him to be something more, to represent his family. Although, now he really didn't want to represent his murderous father, so that was probably a good thing.

From the moment they sit down, everything flows naturally again. There are no awkward pauses in conversation as they reach for conversation topics. They joke and tease between bites of food, and Mellie finally agrees that she's never had such a delicious milkshake, but he has to drag it out of her with a kiss as they walk back to his car parked on the street.

"See, I told you it was the best burger place."

She hums in agreement, pulling him in for another kiss. "And now, Mr. Merlyn, I think it's time for you to take me home."

...

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Felicity can't help but lean over to ask Oliver as they watch Digg being grabbed and shoved in a van along with his sack of drugs.

His glances over at her, face set. "Assuming everything goes to plan, we'll have him back in twelve hours."

"And the chances things won't go to plan?" She doesn't know why she asks. Of course, she's worried about her friend, but she doesn't really want to know what the chances of him not surviving are.

"We're going to see him again in twelve hours, Felicity. I promise." He reaches out, gripping her small hand in his. She squeezes it back, conscious of the possible lie he's just told. There are so many uncertainties in this plan that they can't be sure. She knows that. He knows that. They're just lying to themselves right now.

She continues to stare off in the direction Diggle was taken, biting her lip, before Oliver drags her back to the present with a tug on her arm.

"Come on," he whispers softly. "Let's get back to the hotel. I'm sure you can hack the Russian police system and get some information on Digg."

"Except I no absolutely no Russian. And there's also the evil Russian woman who was trying to take over your company and is now staking out our hotel looking for you. You know, I'm fairly certain she thinks we're sleeping together. Just like the rest of QC. I mean, I get it. You need someone you trust as your executive assistant and you really can't go down all those floors to the IT department all the time, but people are assuming the worst. And this trip to Russia is definitely not helping matters. I mean, I talked to her last night...well really, she stopped me in the lobby and made some very _very _obscene accusations that were waaay out of line. I get that it looks that way though. There are bound to be rumors and they really don't bother me since they're completely not true, but that woman has literally no tact. I expected more from her."

"Wait! What?" Oliver stops in the middle of the sidewalk, dumbfounded. "People think we're sleeping together."

She throws him an exasperated eye roll. "Yes! God, are you really that oblivious? You promoted me from the depths of the IT department to make me your executive assistant. Make no mistake, I consider it a demotion, but everyone else sees this as a big step. Not the mention the whole boss-sleeping-with-the-secretary trope. Because basically that's what everyone assumes. You should hear Sharon in Accounting going on about my short skirts and wondering if she can pick up a billionaire that way. I really didn't think my skirts were that short."

"They're not." Oliver assures her, but his eyes have taken on a far off look. She knows the one: he's sifting through memories, realizing all the times they gave off that appearance.

She doesn't need to do the same thing because she already knows. She was aware of it when she first got the new job. She won't claim to be happy with the rumors. Of course, it might help if Oliver went on dates with actual women too. Then people would have reason to doubt the ridiculous implications, but no. Between QC and his night job, Oliver Queen apparently didn't have the time to date. Pity. She could have thrown that in Sharon's pinched little face.

"If you think it would help, I think I could manage a couple dates," Oliver offers.

Her cheeks flush and she grimaces. She twists it into an apologetic smile as she meets his eyes. She expects to see amusement, but instead she finds a painful longing in their blue depths and it takes her breath away as she stares at him. The moment sweeps her away, taking her breath and mental capacity with it, drawing her slowly into the emotion in his eyes. Until he looks away and the connection is broken.

His hand falls to the small of her back as he directs them back to the hotel and she shakes her head in an attempt to jumpstart her brain functions again. It's useless to fight it as he pulls her into his side. She doesn't even think he does it on purpose as they walk through the crowded streets. He probably doesn't realize what a number his closeness is doing on her poor heart. She has a crush on him, has had one for a long time, but she's resigned to the fact that he will never feel the same even if the glint in his eyes or the hand rubbing circles into the small of her back seem to be telling her differently. She can't let her heart get broken that way.

...

"So how much baked ziti am I making?" Mellie shouts from the kitchen.

"Enough for five of us." He calls back, running a hand through his hair, still damp from his shower.

"Five? I thought there we were talking about seven. Who cancelled?"

He joins her in the kitchen, arms sliding around her waist to hug her from behind as he presses a kiss to her neck, right below her ear. "Apparently, Felicity, Oliver and John are all in Russia, so they can't make it."

"So doesn't that bring us down to four?" She frowns at him and he winces. He forgot to tell her.

"Actually, I also invited Laurel." He feels her pause in sprinkling mozzarella over the dish, but he squeezes her reassuringly. "She's been having a tough time at work and she needs her friends."

"Laurel, as in your ex-girlfriend?"

He closes his eyes against the uncertain edge to her voice. "Yes, but also as in one of my oldest friends. I'm worried about her, Mellie."

She sighs anxiously, taking another moment before she continues to make her baked ziti.

"I promise it's nothing more."

"I didn't say I thought it was," she whispers sadly in response.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew."

She nods, shaking him off to slide the aluminum tray of ziti into the oven. She summons a smile as she faces him, but the sorrow is still evident in her eyes: She doesn't completely believe him.

"Hey...we're better than fine. You have nothing to worry about. Okay?" He pulls her closer and she nods, accepting his kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck. She sinks into the kiss, deepening it until impatient banging emanates from the door.

Tommy groans. "Thea...I love her like a sister, and she annoys me like one too." Mellie laughs, biting her lip as he pulls away to answer the door.

As soon as the door opens slightly, it's shoved all the way open by the brunette. She brushes past Tommy and makes a beeline for the kitchen while Roy smiles politely as he swaggers in. Tommy closes the door behind him.

"Thomas Merlyn!" Thea comes running around the corner from the kitchen in just as much of a whirlwind as before. "You took her to _Big Belly Burger_ for your first date?! Seriously? That's the best you could do? I'm ashamed to admit I know you."

"Hey! It was a mutual decision!" He shouts as she aims a half-hearted thwack at the back of his head.

"Really? Are you sure you just didn't want to take her somewhere nice?"

"Thea, we started off at that expensive, fancy place on Fourth and then we relocated." He holds his hands up in defense under Thea's judging glare. She purses her lips and takes a step back, glancing back to Mellie.

"Is he telling the truth?"

Tommy watches as Mellie nods slowly, clearly attempting to reign in a smile. "We had to. I had to see if they really did have the best milkshakes."

She walks over, wrapping her arms around him, lifting on her toes to press a kiss to Tommy's jaw. "As a matter of fact, they do. In case you're wondering."

Thea huffs, crossing her arms but her lips quirk up involuntarily at the couple in front of her. Tommy shakes his head, leaning down so his lips find Mellie's. He draws out the kiss until Thea starts fake choking a couple feet away.

"Geez! Cut it out." Thea complains. "I don't need to see you making out in front of me. If you two want to be alone, we could just leave."

"No! We're still doing movie night," Mellie insists, she detaches herself from Tommy. "I picked out some great movies. Besides, we already planned this."

"Fine. But no more lip locking, got it?" Thea frowns, pointing a finger at both parties. They both offer her a nod and she smiles, landing her hands on her hips. "Great! So when's everyone else getting here?"

Mellie shrugs. "We're only waiting on Laurel."

"Laurel?" Tommy grits his teeth at the questioning look thrown his way. "What about Ollie and Felicity?"

"They're out of town. Some business trip or something." Tommy fills in vaguely.

"Just the two of them?" Thea smiles triumphantly.

"No, Diggle went with them. They took the jet for Queen Consolidated business."

"Uh-huh, business. I'm sure. Twenty bucks says they're a think when they get back." She holds up the money.

"I'll take that bet," Mellie agrees, pulling out the money.

"We're not betting on our friends' love life!" Tommy argues, but only because he knows they really are on Arrow business. They're not going to get together, not while on a mission...probably.

"Oh, come on, Tommy! We've been talking about how they're acting all couple-y for the past month, at least! And now they go on a business trip together. It's happening." Mellie pours herself a glass of red wine and one for Tommy.

Tommy sighs. "Fine. Twenty on it not happening." Thea rolls her eyes, but takes the money. Her eyes land on Roy as the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it. That's probably Laurel." He pulls the door open to her meek smile, one he has rarely ever seen on the confident girl in front of him.

"Hey, Tommy." The laughter down the hall dims a little.

"Come on in," Tommy offers, gesturing her into the room. "Everyone's already here."

He winces as Laurel stops in the hall in front of him when confronted with Thea, Roy, and Mellie. Thea and Roy offer weak smiles. His heart swells as Mellie steps around Thea and holds out her hand.

"Hi! You must be Laurel. I'm Mellie." Her stunning smile brings his own back and her eyes meet his, full of warmth. It sets his insides on fire. His heart feels like it's swelling to encompass his body at the friendliness she's showing to his ex-girlfriend, when she had trepidation half an hour ago. It's Laurel's cool and disjointed response that worries him.

"Hi."

...

"Felicity, can you please calm down?" She hears Oliver's words, but she keeps wearing a trail through the suite carpet, chewing on her thumb. Each passing minute only increases her anxiety. She has a bad feeling about all of this. "Fe-li-ci-ty."

Large, strong hands land on her shoulders, holding her in place. Her eyes lift sheepishly to Oliver's worried ones. He bends slightly at the knees to meet her eyes. "Everything's okay, Felicity. There's nothing to worry about. We've got a couple more hours before we need to pick up the van. Why don't you do some computer thing?"

She shoots him a glare. "I already did all the computer things I needed to do. Anything more and I would need my set up in the Foundry. I mean, what are we supposed to do in a hotel room alone for a couple hours?"

He raises his eyebrows and she feels the burn of her cheeks turning red.

"Oh god. I did not mean it like that. I know what people do in hotel rooms for hours, but I didn't mean for you and me...that's not what I meant...at all. Not that I'm opposed or anything. You're hot, like Adonis hot. But I'm not coming on to you. Promise. Absolutely not hitting on my boss...again."

Oliver chuckles, his thumbs rubbing circles into her shoulders and destroying any chance of her thinking clearly for the foreseeable future. "Felicity..." His voice trails off and his eyes move around her face. Maybe it's her imagination, but she thinks they rest for a second longer on her lips. She wants to lean in, to press her lips to his and see if he wants to kiss her as much as she wants to kiss him.

Instead, he pushes her gently back. "Let's go for a drink."

"I don't..." Her argument disappears as he slips his hand into hers and drags her out of the room. The air around her is palpable with tension, only barely alleviated by the point of contact of their hands. The close confines of the elevator does nothing to help with the desire slowly flooding her system. Maybe she does need that drink after all.

...

"Of course they're going to sleep together," Mellie whispers. "It's a romcom." She rolls her eyes at the action on the screen.

"I thought this was one of your favorite movies." He kisses the top of her head. He feels more than hears her chuckles.

"It is. That doesn't mean I don't poke fun at it." She tucks herself further under his arm.

Tommy tries not to notice Laurel's eyes following the motion from the other end of the couch. She's been all polite smiles and simple conversation, but it's been forced. She's been sipping on wine for the past movie and a half. Mellie has been perfectly sweet and he's happy her earlier anxiety alleviated for the time being.

By the end of the second movie, Mellie is sleeping against his side. He shifts her against the end of the couch so she can sleep while he takes care of their guests. Roy and Thea depart without many words, just a promise to see each other tomorrow.

"Well, I guess it's time to go," Laurel says, walking slowly towards the door. She plays with her keys in her hands, offering him a small smile. "I had fun tonight. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem. I'm glad you came."

She nods again, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'm glad you found someone who makes you happy." She leaves with a long backward glance. Tommy closes the door behind her, locking the door. He cleans the dirty dishes up from their scattered positions around the apartment, keeping quiet so as not to wake Mellie.

Once he finishes, he moves to sit on the edge of the couch, running his hand over her side. She stirs in her sleep and mumbles, "Mmmm, is the movie over?"

He chuckles. "Yes. Everyone left already."

"Mmmmm. Good. So I can go to bed now." She sits up, blinking slowly.

"Yeah." Tommy picks her up, an arm behind her back and another under her knees. She curls into his chest.

By the time he lays her in bed and pulls the blankets over her, she's already asleep. He presses a kiss to her forehead, smiling as she mutters in her sleep. As he settles into bed he feels like the luckiest guy on earth even though he can't find a single reason his life should be his happy. Maybe he's just lucky.

...

Felicity is not feeling so lucky right now. Oliver had taken her to the bar and they had done shots of vodka. He had told her they could do shots of whatever, but she had figured since they were in Russia she might as well have a traditional drink. She wasn't a lightweight despite her appearance. Her tolerance might not have been as high as Oliver's but she could hold her own. However, the alcohol impaired her abilities enough that she let herself get cornered by Isabel Rochev again.

The woman was like a dog with a bone. Felicity wasn't giving her anything but her stone-cold-bitch face. She'd perfected it in high school. The woman eventually left with a superior air as though she had somehow won. Felicity wished she could say she remained silent in a deliberate cold shoulder, but it was mainly for fear of starting on one of her legendary babbles. Those only got worse when she was drunk.

Then the prison break had gone wrong and instead of just Diggle and his ex-wife, they had also extracted Floyd Lawton. The whole thing left her uneasy, even when they had ditched him a couple miles from the prison. They didn't even stay another night in Russia, heading straight to the Queen Consolidated plane waiting at the airport. It was the alcohol mixed with her fear of flying that left her feeling queasy right now.

Oliver sits next to her, handing her a barf bag. "You're looking a little green."

"I'm fine." She takes the bag anyway, keeping it on her lap. "Just alcohol and flying...not the best mix."

He chuckles. "You're going to be fine. You should be mostly sober by now."

"Yup." She nods. She had felt the buzz wearing off. "Still leaves my stomach a little unsettled."

"Do you need some crackers? Ginger ale?"

"I'll be fine. I've never thrown up while flying before and I don't intend to start now." That's it, she thinks, just convince yourself you won't throw up and you won't. That'll work, Smoak.

"Listen, about what Isabel said earlier-"

"Oliver, it's okay."

"No. It's not. She had no right to stay that. And I should have thought about what people would think when I promoted you. I didn't mean for people to think we were sleeping together. I just needed someone I could trust. I trust you, Felicity. You know that, right?"

She stares at his hand wrapped around hers, dumbfounded. She nods slowly, unable to speak for once. She doesn't know how to deal with his monologue. Her insides feel all warm and fuzzy, and it has nothing to do with the alcohol that's now leaving her system. His hand squeezes hers.

"I couldn't do this without you, Felicity. Thank you."

...


	13. State v Queen

_A/N: I'm trying to get back on my usual update schedule for this fic, which would typically mean this weekend, but I finished the chapter and after all the feels from tonight's episode, I decided to post it now. I really hope you like it! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or any characters/dialogue that you might recognize _

_And please PLEASE comment/favorite/follow to let me know what you think and thank you everyone for being so supportive of this story. 3 _

**State v. Queen**

"Let me get this straight: you, Oliver, and his bodyguard just _decided_ to go to Russia on a whim and you returned with said bodyguard's ex-wife?"

Felicity nods slowly, glancing at Tommy on the other side of the bar. It's only about eleven on a Sunday night, but the bar is almost completely empty. She wouldn't even be here if Oliver hadn't called her asking about the internet down in the foundry. He hadn't intended for her to come in, she was aware of that, but just his questions about her computers had her worrying and she had appeared much to his surprise. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn't realized how much she had missed seeing him until she walked down into the basement. God! She was like a high school girl with a crush: her heart racing every time she saw him, butterflies assaulting her stomach each time he looked at her, her body lighting on fire at his touch. She shakes her head to get it out of her system.

"Honestly, Lissy! You've been spending too much time around billionaires because normal people don't do stuff like that!" Mellie throws her hands in the air.

"Mels, Oliver and John are my friends. As I was saying, Lyla got in a spot of trouble and we just needed Oliver's influence to get her out of it." And by influence, she means Bratva connections, but Mellie will assume monetary influence. She's not lying directly, just letting her come to her own conclusions. That's not wrong...right?

Mellie snorts and turns to Tommy. "Is that something you do, Tommy? Take random trips halfway around the world on _a whim_ with friends?"

He sheepishly runs a hand through his hair, guilty smile enough of an answer for the girls.

"Seriously?! I need more rich friends. Can we take a trip to Paris next weekend?" Mellie sticks out her lower lips in a fake pout as Tommy chuckles.

"Actually, Mellie, since the Undertaking-"

"You should take the Queen jet," Oliver offers, emerging from the back of the club, cutting Tommy off from his explanation that all his assets are currently frozen. "Roy and Thea can handle the club for a couple days."

He comes to a stop next to Felicity, resting his hand lightly on the small of her back just to let her know he's there. She leans into the touch slightly in acknowledgement, taking comfort in his presence and the safety that comes with it. It's been three days since they got back from Russia. Three days, and he's already increased the physical contact between the two of them. It's nothing overtly sexual, just a guiding hand on her back, a squeeze of her shoulder, a lingering gaze. She just doesn't know what to do with this shift in their interactions. They set her heart racing and inspire some of her crazier fantasies, fantasies she absolutely will not _ever_ mention to anyone, especially the freakishly handsome man next to her, a man whose thumb is currently rubbing small circle into her back.

She catches Mellie's eyes lingering on her and Oliver before focusing back on Tommy. For his part, Tommy stares contemplatively at his best friend before nodding. "Thanks, Ollie."

"No problem. I'll have it ready to leave Friday." The smile on his face is actually genuine and that realization has her smiling back.

She lifts her eyes to meet Oliver's bright blue pools. She watches the worry seep back in to his features and remembers what's happening tomorrow. "Oh, Oliver! Your mother's trial starts tomorrow! Are you ready for that?"

He sighs, hand still for a moment as he runs his other hand wearily along his stubble-covered jaw. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

She reaches out and rests a sympathetic hand on his forearm, feeling the muscles working under her fingers but trying not to let herself be distracted. "I could go with you, you know."

"No." He shakes his head and it hurts her feelings more than she cares to admit. She starts to pull away, but he removes his hand from her back to hold hers. "Not because I don't want you there, because you know I do, but I need someone I trust to look after things while I'm out of the office."

She nods, smiling softly. "I can take care of it. There are only department updates because we knew this would be happening and I can handle that. You know, you really should hire someone to run the company for you at times like these. I mean, Walter would be ideal id he didn't have that job at the bank."

"I know, but no one wants to come near us."

Felicity nods in understanding. "You just need to come out with a new product everyone must have. I'm thinking the Applied Sciences division might be your best bet. Wayne Industries shut theirs down a couple years ago and we have some really promising projects. I've been looking into some of their files so we should really get into that. Although, the head of the department was on the list...of people you don't like too much..." She grimaces as she realized what she almost said in front of Mellie accidentally.

Oliver shakes his head with a smirk. "We'll have to work on that after the trial's finished. Although him being on the list isn't really ground for firing."

"Bet I can dig up some dirt on him and get you a short list of suitable replacements."

He chuckles. "Like I would ever bet against you!"

The rumble of laughter warms her chest and she forgets about the other two people involved in their discussion originally, her mouth falling open as she stares up at Oliver. Then Tommy coughs and her head whips around to face him with his bemused smile and knowing glance exchanged with Mellie.

"And on that note, I should head home because I have to work tomorrow morning." Mellie hops down from the stool, teetering a little in her higher than normal heels. She leans over to exchange a kiss with Tommy. "See you later."

"Wait! Mellie, I can take you back to Tommy's. I'm headed home now anyway." Felicity pulls away from Oliver, they're hands remaining joined until she's out of reach and Felicity suddenly feels bereft. Without the warmth of his touch, the night feels colder as she walks outside, but she refuses to entertain the idea of what it means. She's not going to head down that road.

Mellie falls into step with her, throwing her arm over Felicity's shoulders and pulling her in for a half-hug. "Okay, spill it, Lissy. What really happened in Russia?"

"What do you mean? I told you," Felicity deadpans, tripping over the curb as she reaches her car. It's not because of that question. Nope. It couldn't be.

"I mean, that you told me some bull shit story about saving John's ex-wife, but _something_ happened between you and Oliver. The two of you always had the sexual tension thing going on, but now it's been cranked up a thousand degrees. How can you be around that man without jumping his bones?"

"Oliver and I are just friends," she repeats. Maybe if she says it enough, she'll start to believe it.

Mellie snorts. "Neither of us believes that." Mellie drops into the passenger seat of her car, a smug smile gracing her face.

Felicity groans, the back of her head hitting the headrest as she stares at the ceiling. She doesn't need to look over at her friend to know she's smirking. She stabs her keys into the ignition and starts the car. "Let's just get you home."

"Answer the question, Lissy. What happened?"

With a sigh, Felicity pulls out into traffic. "Nothing really. We flew to Russia. Helped Lyla. Oliver and I did shots of vodka. He comforted me on the plane, but that's it."

"That's it?! Shit, Lissy. That sounds like a lot went down."

"Nothing happened."

She can hear Mellie rolling her eyes in the other seat. "Lissy, I saw the two of you in Verdant just now. There was clearly something there. You were constantly touching and you could barely look away from each other. It was adorable and sickeningly cute."

"We..." Before she can argue, Felicity thinks back to the situation. She can't really argue about the touching thing, because there was a lot of touching. She knew that. "It's not like that."

"Oh, no. Nuh-uh. You can't lie to me about this, Felicity. I know you too well. I know when you are head-over-heels for a guy. And anyone can tell by looking at Oliver that he's been Smoaked."

Another moan escapes Felicity as she pulls us to Tommy's apartment building. "I can't believe you still say that."

"Why wouldn't I? It's perfect. There is no other way to describe how everyone you meet falls instantly in love with you. You could charm your soul back from the devil."

Felicity rolls her eyes. "Yes. I seduce people with my awkward babbling." They've had this argument before and she really doesn't believe it.

"You can't argue this time, Lissy. You literally have boys fawning over you ALL the time: Tommy, John, Roy, and _obviously_ Oliver. I mean, sure, most of them look at you like a sister, but trust me, it still counts as being Smoaked. They would lay down their lives for you, every single one of them."

Again, Felicity finds herself unable to argue because she knows Oliver, Digg, and Tommy would save her without question. With Roy, there was a good chance as well. Heck, even Sara would save her life.

"See!" Mellie cheers triumphantly. "You can't deny it. You know it's true. Ha!"

Felicity rolls her eyes and shifts the car into park. "Fine. Okay. My boys are crazy loyal to me. We're still not calling it Smoaked."

"Sorry, Lis. You don't get a vote. It is what it is." Mellie slides from the car with a bright smile. "Embrace your awesomeness."

"Goodnight, Mellie." Felicity grimaces at her friend's wide grin, shaking her head. She waits until Mellie's safely inside the building before driving away. Her boys' habits are starting to rub off on her.

...

"Alright, Oliver. You want to tell me what happened?" Tommy glares at his friend accusingly. If he lost the bet, he was not going to be happy. He prided himself on being a good gambler.

"What?"

Tommy just glares at him. They both know what he's talking about. He's watched Oliver with probably hundreds of women. He knows when it's serious for his friends and when it's not. He knows that Felicity means more to his friend than any girl ever has. He can see it in is protective stance and the constant touching. It could just be another way the island made his friend grow up, and this is definitely a good development. Tommy's happy for both him and Felicity, or he would be if they would finally admit their feelings for one another.

"Nothing happened."

Tommy snorts. He's going to have to do better than that.

"There was drinking, but nothing physically happened."

Well at least this means he didn't lose the bet. "But you want to do something."

Oliver drops into the stool on the other side of the bar, running his hand through his short hair. Tommy gets the hint and pours him a drink, placing it in front of him with a chuckle.

"You've got it bad."

"I know, Tommy." Oliver sounds almost defeated, but a smile plays around his lips, his eyes stare into the distance, looking at nothing. "I can't be in the same space without reaching out to touch her. And when she smiles..."

"Oh God! All I ask is that you don't start writing me poetry. That is not something I would be able to take."

Oliver smirks. "No poetry. I promise."

"Good. I was starting to think I would have to lock you two in a closet to get you to admit your feelings."

"A closet?" Oliver looks amused at least.

"Yeah. Like a cramped closet where you would have no choice but to admit your mutual attraction. I might have even resorted to a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven just to make it happen, even though that game is so middle school." And he had thought about it too. Mostly it had been a joke he shared with Mellie, but he actually kind of liked the idea.

Oliver shakes his head. "A closet?"

"And you would thank me for it, Ollie." Tommy grins because he knows he's right and Ollie knows it too. "By the way, I'll be there with you at the courthouse."

"Tommy, you don't-"

"No. Your mom was basically mine too after my mom passed. I should be there. Plus, I get the feeling our blonde genius is going to make me go anyway, so we shouldn't fight it because we're not going to win."

Tommy takes in Oliver's smile at just the mention of Felicity again and shakes his head. The idiot probably doesn't even realize he does it, but Tommy knows one thing for sure: Oliver better not mess this up because if he does, no one's going to pick him over Felicity.

...

The TV is playing in the background as Felicity goes through all her notes from her morning of meetings, cutting them down to the bare minimum so Oliver can make sense of it. She had more than enough of the snobby looks most of the heads gave her when they realized Oliver wasn't there for their monthly reports. Most of them had tried to talk down to her, which had only served to aggravate her more.

She slides the fresh printouts into a folder, dropping it in the middle of Oliver's desk. That's really all he had to do today. She had kept his workload as light as possible because of his mother's trial. He would probably be in later and have more than enough time to look over those files and listen to some of her choice opinions on the snooty people his company employed, snooty people she is sure she's smarter than.

"...ADA Donner's sudden collapse in the courtroom. Sources are unclear as to what caused the collapse, but the assistant district attorney is now on the way to the hospital for treatment."

Felicity's head jerks to the TV, a hand already reaching for the remote to raise the volume when her phone blares in her pocket. She pulls it from her pocket and lifts it to her ear without glancing at the caller ID.

"Hey. I just saw the news-"

"Felicity, Donner was kidnapped." Oliver's tense voice cuts her off and she knows this is not a friendly conversation.

"What?"

"He never made it to the hospital. Digg and I are headed to the foundry now."

"I'll meet you there," Felicity agrees, already grabbing her coat and purse from her desk. It's late enough in the afternoon that no one will question her going home, and even if someone did, she is on her way to meet her boss.

"Be careful, Felicity."

She rolls her eyes at his preoccupied growl. "See you in ten."

Her walk from the building is uneventful, except from the untrusting stares she's used to now and it's not like she listens to the water-cooler gossip anyway. She knows what she can do, even if everyone else is constantly underestimating her. But what they don't know is how great her other job is.

...

"Did you guys see..." Tommy trails off as he looks from Diggle on the med table to Felicity in front of her computers, rapidly typing and shouting directions into open air. He can't hear any response, but he's willing to bet Oliver's on his way to rescue Donner right now.

He pulls another computer chair over to join Felicity, watching her fingers fly across the keyboard in fascination. He's seen her work before, but seeing it in person was a work of art. The video of the Count talking continues until he gives Donner a dose of the drug. Felicity winces, but finishes her directions to Oliver, relaying to him what happened before collapsing back in her seat and turning slightly to look at him. A second later, she returns to typing, putting the comms on speaker so he can hear the fight. Finally Oliver's voice comes roughly through the speaker, directly to them:

"I've got Donner. I'm going to take him to the nearest hospital. Felicity, can you-"

"Already doing it, but the searches are going to take a while. You should head back to the courthouse and talk to your mother. Her lawyer's been calling your phone. I'll let you know when we find something."

"Okay. Good. Stay safe."

Felicity sighs as the comms turn off. Turning to Tommy, she offers him a small smile. "Yeah. That whole Donner thing? We're on it."

Tommy nods. "I can see that. What's up with the big guy?" He jerks his thumb at Diggle with a raised eyebrow.

"He got hit with the same thing Donner did. If the Count is telling the truth and this really is Vertigo, we have no idea how he managed to infect both of him and Donner." She turns back to her computers. "I've been looking into hospital records and there are a number of similar cases. I think the Count just used Donner because he's a big target with the trial going on. Right now, I've got a program mapping out all the cases, trying to figure out if there's a pattern. It can't just be put in the water, because then there would be far more cases, but right now it's just a bunch of scattered dots."

She spins back to him, ponytail flipping over her shoulder with the speed of her movement. "What about you? Are you expressing any symptoms? Going through withdrawl? Anything?"

"Nope." Tommy smirks. "I mean, look at me? It's almost illegal for a person this good-looking to get sick."

"And here I was thinking it was the only justice left in the world," Felicity mutters under her breath and he just laughs.

"No. I'm fine. Mellie was feeling a little under the weather, but she thinks it just might be the flu. She got one of those flu shots and she swears it's making her sick."

Felicity shrugs. "Well, I don't really see the point in those shots. If I'm going to get sick, I'm going to get sick. Plus, I hate needles. Or all pointy objects really, which is ironic considering..." She gestures at the rack of arrows on display and another chuckle escapes him.

"I'm with you, Smoak. I hate shots." He glances back at Diggle with the IV bag hanging next to him. "Do you need my help with anything?"

Felicity shrugs, glancing around. "It's mostly about waiting for my computers now. If you want, I'm sure Oliver wouldn't mind your support at the courthouse."

He sighs, knowing the painful reality of that statement. He's not looking forward to going back, to getting all the pointed looks and angry glares from reporters and people on the streets. With this trial dragging to light everything his father did, Tommy can't seem to escape all the animosity in the street. The government may have cleared him of any involvement, but apparently that does nothing to soothe those searching for justice.

"Hey." Felicity squeezes his arm, offering a reassuring smile. "I'm sure he'll understand if you don't want to go. I know it can't be easy for you either."

"It's like the last few months never happened and my father's sins are mine again. Did you know there's a conspiracy out there saying that because they couldn't find my father's body, I must have saved him and spirited him off somewhere?"

She grimaces. "I may have stumbled on it a couple weeks after the Undertaking, but don't worry! I deleted every trace of it I could find. I have programs that always run checks on anything containing our team, and that includes you. I can't stop people from talking, but I can promise it's not on the internet."

"Have I ever told you, you're amazing, Smoak?"

"Not nearly often enough, Merlyn." She smirks up at him from her computer chair, tilting her head slightly to the side.

He shakes his head, amused by her confidence in her ability. Not that she doesn't have every right to brag. She is scarily good at her job.

Tommy's phone buzzes in his pocket, eyes widening at the ten unopened texts and three missed calls. At each text, he grows more and more panicked, standing and pushing the chair away as he gets to the last one.

"I've gotta go, Smoak. Mellie collapsed at work and they took her to the hospital."

"What?" Her head jerks up from her computer screens, following Tommy as he walks over to the stairs.

"I don't know. All I know is she's in the hospital. I'll let you know when I get there, okay? I just...I have to go." He races up the stairs and out the door with only one destination in mind: Mellie. He has to get to her. He's so focused pulling his keys out of his pocket that he nearly hits Oliver in the face with Verdant's front door. "Ollie? I thought you were going to the courthouse..."

He holds up a vial. "I have to drop this off with Felicity. We need Queen Consolidated working on an antidote." His face morphs into a frown. "Where are you headed?"

Tommy turns on his last steps to his car. "Mellie's in the hospital. She collapsed at work. I have to go."

He's sure he speeds all the way to the hospital. There's no doubt in his mind, but he doesn't get pulled over and somehow manages to find a parking spot close to the entrance. His mind is in a bubble of worry, of trepidation. What will he find when he goes in?

He doesn't let it faze him as he walks right up to the reception desk. "Hi. I'm looking for Melissa Brown."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't give you any information unless you're family." The nurse's icy smile contradicts her statement.

"Um, I'm her emergency contact: Thomas Merlyn. The hospital called me." He pulls out his phone to show her the display, but she impassively moves back to the computers and starts typing with a snap of her gum.

"Yup. I've got you, Mr. Merlyn. Room 213."

With a curt nod, he's off to the nearest staircase, his only goal to get to Mellie. The white walls and doctors blur together until he finds her room, slowing to enter it at a walk. There are two beds in the room, Mellie lying unconscious in the second one. He brushes past a nurse to grab her clammy hand. Her hair is damp with sweat and her pallor looks distinctly unhealthy. He squeezes her hand just to let her know that he's there.

"Excuse me! Who are you?" The nurse glares at him, her grip digging into his arm.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Tommy Merlyn, her boyfriend. I'm her emergency contact. I got a call saying she was here."

She relaxes her grip, nodding as she takes a deep breath. "I'll send the doctor in to talk to you then. But I should tell you, we found Vertigo in her system. She's going through withdrawal."

He nods before closing his eyes. "Thank you."

She pats him on the back before retreating from the room.

Tommy sinks into the plastic chair by the bed and pulls out his phone, dialing Felicity without looking at the screen. She picks up on the second ring.

"How is she?"

"She's...she's alive, but it's Vertigo, Felicity. She's going through withdrawal of Vertigo." Tommy leans forward to rest his head against the edge of the hospital bed. "Please tell me you have something."

She sighs through the phone. "QC is working on an antidote as we speak. I'm still working on figuring out how he got to so many people, but it's taking me longer than I would like. But we'll get to the bottom of this. Don't worry, Tommy. She'll be okay."

He hopes she's right as he hangs up the phone and drops it on the bed, desperate for her to be okay. He needs her to be okay.

...

"The flu shots!" She jumps to her feet with a cry, victorious after hours staring at the same screens. She turns to John, now blessedly awake. "It was in the flu shots."

"I got addicted after only one shot?"

She nods. "And right now...that truck is parked on forty second..."

"Okay. I'll head over..." He nearly falls off the table in his attempt to stand up.

"No, you don't. I'll do it." Felicity forces Digg to sit down. "You need to rest. You can barely stand. I'll be fine."

She saunters away with a forced spring in her step. She has to do this for Digg, Mellie, and every other infected person in this city. Honestly, Oliver doesn't need to be bothered for the quick trip it would take to confirm that Vertigo is indeed in the flu shots in concentrated doses. Granted she doesn't have all the proof she needs, but this feels right to her. They finally found the connection. Both Digg and Mellie got flu shots, but her, Tommy, and Oliver didn't. It makes sense.

...

She was beyond stupid. Really, it was ridiculous how stupid she had been. I mean, come on! Felicity, when are you going to learn that while snooping, you shouldn't go wearing a tight dress and four inch heels? She pulls at the restraints on her wrists, but the black zip ties don't budge. Maybe she should have at least made Digg listen on comms.

She jerks her head up at the sound of the Count's voice. Suddenly, she recognizes her surroundings: Queen Consolidated. Why would he bring her here? It doesn't make any sense.

Then it clicks. He knows. She doesn't know how he does, but the Count knows Oliver's identity. He confirms as much as he returns to the conference room and tosses her phone on the table.

"I just had a lovely talk with your boss," he informs her with a cackle. "He seemed quite worried. I'm sure he'll be here soon to save you." He giggles again and she flinches back from his outstretched hand.

"Oh, don't be like that, sweetheart. I only want a bit of fun. You were the one who came to me after all."

She can only pull away so far. A whimper escapes her as his hand, his slimy hand, caresses her cheek. Her stomach shifts, barely holding back her last meal at his touch. It makes her feel grimy from the inside out. She needs to get away from this, from him. Helplessness overwhelms her as she realizes she can't. She's stuck in this situation and she can't get out.

"Such smooth skin...And to think when I accepted this job, I just thought I was going to get revenge on the Arrow. It turned out so much better."

She stares at her hands. It's easier than concentrating on his words, on the sensation of his touch making her skin crawl. Her hands aren't much better. They shake against the armrest of the chair so she digs her fingers into the soft material, fingernails puncturing the leather of the chair. Now they're not shaking as much, but she can still feel it in the rest of her body as she attempts to take deep breaths to quell it. God, she wishes she could save herself right now. Maybe if she had some actual training, she wouldn't be in this stupid situation.

"Of course, we still have to wait for the main event!"

Relief floods her system as he falls into the seat behind her. At least there's no more touching.

"So how long do you think he'll take? He sounded pretty angry. Any guesses? Hmmmm? We could even make a bet?"

Felicity grits her teeth, refusing to shrink away from the lilting sound of his voice. She will not be cowed by that. She needs to remain strong. Oliver is on his way. He won't leave her here. He's going to come for her. She hopes.

When he finally enters his office, he's dressed as the Arrow, but his hood is down. The moment his desperate blue eyes lock on hers she relaxes slightly. She knew he would come for her.

They exchange words, but all she can do is swallow the bile rising in her throat as he squeezes her shoulders after a comment about "personal satisfaction." Her eyes stay trained on Oliver. It's so much easier to keep her wits when she's looking into his steady eyes that radiate worry for her and yet somehow convey that she will be safe now because he is here. She's her knight in green leather, here to save the day. And if she weren't scared for her life right now, she could probably come up with something a little less cliché than that.

The gunshots make her jump in the chair and suddenly the Count is cutting her bonds. She knows Oliver's already on the move and she marvels at the fact that her faith in him hasn't wavered in this whole incident. She knows he's going to rescue her because he came for her. It's that simple.

As the gun disappears and he pulls out the syringe, she sees the change in Oliver's eyes. The sadness and determination in the way he holds his boy and she can't hold her tongue anymore because she's not about to let him do this.

"No! Not for me, Oliver."

He knows what she means. She can read it in his eyes, but seconds later, they harden into cold determination and three arrows find a new home in the Count's chest. Her legs give out without someone holding her up and Felicity finds herself still shaking slightly on the cool floor of Oliver's office.

"Hey! Hey, it's okay. You're alright," Oliver whispers, a hand cupping her cheek and raising her eyes back to his. His eyes rake over her, searching for any wounds just to make sure she's okay. She can already feel her heart rate declining, her breathing levelling out in response to his touch, his words.

"You're bleeding." She grabs his arm, staring at the red liquid slowly dripping from where the bullet grazed his upper arm.

"Shhhh. It's nothing." He runs a thumb over her cheek and she drags her eyes back to his, lips parting as she sees a thousand emotions in his eyes, emotions she can't identify, but they slow her heart as she drinks in his expression, aware he's allowing himself the same luxury.

Finally he breaks the connection, pulling back and helping her to her feet. "Come on. We have to get out of here."

She stumbles after him to the elevator and her eyes land on the security cameras. She's going to have to scrub those tonight because the police will most definitely be asking for that footage. The police. Oh god! The Count...She closes her eyes, trying not to think about the arrow she know killed him and certainly if they didn't the fall out the window did. She's shaking again and she doesn't know how to stop, but Oliver just pulls her in close, wrapping his arms around while whispering in her ear.

He walks her out of the elevator and over to his motorcycle without breaking the hug. In his arms, she feels safe. In his arms, she's home. In his arms, the Count won't be able to hurt her ever again.

...

Tommy hasn't left Mellie's side in hours. She's been feverish, barely lucid at times, but nonsense is the only thing coming out of her mouth. He's held her hand even as the doctors told him that the only thing he could do was ride out the withdrawal. He was here when the first victim died because their body couldn't cope with the withdrawal symptoms. He watched them strive to rescue the patient and fail. He keeps waiting for his phone to ring with some good news, but it has stayed frustratingly silent.

"Mr. Merlyn?"

His tired eyes jerk up to the nurse, her bright smile doing little to lift his cloud of sorrow. He stares at her. It's not polite, but he's not exactly having a good day either. The woman he loves is slowly dying next to him because of a mad man.

"We just got this from Queen Consolidated." She smiles as she holds up a syringe of pink-ish liquid. The nurse inserts the needle into the IV line. "It's a cure."

Breath leaves him in a rush and he nearly collapses under the strain of his body. They did it. They managed to create an antidote. Next time he saw them, he was going to hug them all: Oliver, Digg, Felicity. They were each going to get the biggest hug he could manage.

"She should be feeling better in the next couple hours. The doctor wants to keep her for observation overnight, but she should be able to head home tomorrow. She's going to be fine." The nurse offers a final smile before she disappears into the hallway and Tommy finally leans back into the chair.

"Thank God. You had me worried there, Mellie." He can't voice the rest of his thoughts out loud just yet. It's all there in his heart and he's pretty sure it's written all over his face. He loves her like she's the air he breathes, so much that it hurts him to see her attached to all the machines and lying in a hospital bed. And it's going to be a long night, because he won't be able to relax until her bright eyes are staring into his once more.

...

"Oliver, I'm sorry."

The words slip out after nearly forty-five minutes of her holding them in. She closes her eyes against the loaded meaning as she pulls the gray blanket around her more. He turns back to her, confused, brows furrowed to form a crease in the middle that she has the irrational desire to kiss away.

"I got kidnapped and you had to kill again. To save me. You broke your promise and you shouldn't have done that for me." She's not worth him breaking his morals. Not that she thinks she's worthless because she doesn't, but he took a vow and she wishes he didn't break it for her. She resents herself a little because he had to choose already. She can't imagine how he feels.

I mean, this doesn't help anything in their already complicated relationship, does it? They're friends, partners, but then there's the other level with the touching and lingering looks that she doesn't really want to observe too closely. Plus those times she can't take her eyes off his spectacular looking abs, or those times she just wants to pull him close and plant one on him. Or the times he does something sweet...she really needs to stop thinking about this stuff.

"Felicity," Oliver's voice sounds strained as he takes her hand in his, squeezing it. "He had you and he was going to hurt you. There was no choice to make."

No choice? Her mouth falls open at the implication. What the hell did that mean? There's always a choice. She doesn't get it. He shouldn't be killing for her and she doesn't like to think he would consider repeating this if she's in danger again.

"Hey." His voice drags her back and one look at his face confirms that she was just speaking out loud. She really does deserve a medal for how much her brain to mouth filter fails to work.

His hands come up to cup her cheeks, forcing her eyes to his again. "Felicity, there will never be a choice to make, because no matter what happens, I will always choose you. _Always_."

His lips press against hers in a chaste kiss, but her head is spinning at the contact and her eyes slip closed because how could they not? Forgetting the blanket, she lifts her hands to rest on his forearms. A bomb could go off right now and she wouldn't feel it for the movement of his lips against hers.

But the moment ends to soon and Oliver pulls back, a true smile gracing his lips as he stares down at her. His eyes drink her in, lingering on her lips before rising to her eyes. "You should go home and rest. We can talk tomorrow."

She nods slowly as his thumbs stroke her cheeks. "Tomorrow," she repeats.

He leans in for another brief kiss and she hums slightly in happiness. He chuckles at her reaction before pulling away. Clasping their hands together, he pulls her gently up the stairs and guides them to her car and the motorcycle parked beside it in the back lot of Verdant.

She fumbles her keys from her purse as Oliver waits next to her car. Once it's finally unlocked she looks back up into his eyes, surprised to find him still watching. He reaches up and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, sending her heart racing.

"Stay safe," he whispers, planting a kiss on her forehead before moving away to his bike.

She slides into the driver's seat of her car, letting out a controlled breath as she starts the engine. Today is one of those days when she can't believe this is her life. She sighs and glances out the window to find Oliver watching her quietly. She smiles before pulling out of the parking lot and driving home. As she changes into pajamas, she realizes that tomorrow just can't come soon enough.


	14. Between the Lines

_A/N: So this chapter happens immediately after the events of the previous chapter and is the start of a lot of cannon divergence for me. I hope you like it. _

_I also want to thank everyone who has followed/favorited/commented because your support has been AMAZING. If I could, I would reach through the computer and give you all giant hugs...or maybe just make a ton of cookies for everyone. Anyway, thank you! _

_And on that note, please PLEASE let me know what you think with a comment! Enjoy! _

_..._

**Between the Lines**

"I heard she's going to be okay."

Tommy's head jerks up from his position by Mellie's bed, their hands joined on the white and blue blankets of the bed. He lets out a sigh of relief at the sight of his best friend.

"Thanks to your company. Congrats on your mother, by the way."

Oliver nods, walking into the room. He grimaces wryly as he falls into the second seat. "She should have been convicted. We both know that."

Tommy nods, running his thumb over the back of Mellie's hand as he takes a closer look at Oliver across the bed. He looks a little worse for wear, his stubble a little longer than usual, the bags under his eyes seem darker, but there's also a lightness to his features.

"I'm sure you and Thea are overjoyed."

Oliver sighs, a hand running over his stubbled jaw. "Tommy, there's something to I need to tell you."

He frowns, not liking the guilt leaking into Oliver's voice. "What is it, Oliver?"

"I broke my promise to you. You'll see it in the news." He can see his friend struggling for the words, but he saves him from the pain.

"You got the bastard who did this?"

Oliver nods, his eyes braced for judgment as he meets Tommy's, but Tommy can't be bothered in this instant even if Oliver killed again. The man who did this was crazy. Mellie almost died because of him and Oliver saved her life. He's too relieved with her survival to be mad about the villain's death. Hadn't he just raged about how he would kill the man himself?

"Good."

"I wasn't going to. I didn't mean to break the promise, but he had her. He was going to hurt her." The pain lacing Oliver's voice shocks him, chilling his blood because they both know there's only one _her_, and they would both give their lives to protect her.

"Is she..." The words stick in his throat. Christ! Tommy hadn't even known she had been in danger until now. He was a horrible friend. He was so absorbed in his own feelings that-

"She's fine." Oliver says firmly. "Digg checked her out. She was in shock, but she's not hurt. I made sure she got home. She tried to apologize, Tommy. She tried to take the blame for what I had to do to keep her safe."

Oliver's eyes are wide with wonder, his mouth hanging open, obviously at a loss to explain her reasoning. Tommy lets out a huff of air. For being such different people, it never fails to amaze him how similar his two best friends are. They both will shoulder the guilt of things they don't have to. Granted, she does it because she doesn't want to put the weight on someone else's shoulders, and he does it because he somehow thinks everything can be traced back to him, like the universe is punishing him for some unmentionable evil. Personally, he thinks it's a little ridiculous of both of them.

"What did you tell her?"

"That there was no choice, that I would always choose her." He lifts his eyes to Tommy's, their color now a steely blue that he recognizes in the Queen family. Oliver's made up his mind. This decision is final and it's not going to change because he believes it is the right decision.

Tommy nods. "Good." He smirks at the evident surprise on his best friend's face. "What? Did you think I was going to yell at you for that? I've only known her a couple of months and I would jump in front of a bullet for Felicity. Hell, I probably value her life more than yours at the moment. Putting her safety first? I'm not going to argue with that."

"I can't let anything happen to her, Tommy."

He chuckles. "So you're finally ready to admit you love her?"

Oliver stills. Tommy hadn't realized how much his friend was moving until all movement stopped. He stares at his hands for a moment before lifting his head to reveal a reflective smile. "I kissed her tonight."

The responding grin is instantaneous. He's been waiting for news of this for what feels like months. "And?"

"She kissed me back." Oliver's eyes are far away, no longer in the room with them and Tommy almost snickers at the sight. The great playboy felled by the rambling IT nerd. Then again, with Felicity, he really isn't surprised. "We're talking tomorrow, but for tonight, I should probably head home. Mom probably wants some company."

"I'm pretty sure it goes without saying that if you break her heart, I'll hurt you." Tommy bites down on his smile to maintain a serious face.

Oliver smiles, but nods. "You, Digg and everyone else." He stands, glancing down at the hospital bed. "Let me know when she wakes up. We'll plan a movie night or something to celebrate surviving a madman's attack."

"You're just suggesting that so you'll have cuddle time with Felicity," Tommy jokes, enjoying the responding grin that blooms on Oliver's face at the thought. God, it looks just like his genuine ones from before the island. He hasn't seen one in almost six years.

"Whatever works, right?" Oliver asks as he backs out of the room, with a slight bounce in his step.

Tommy shakes his head. There's no doubt about it. Oliver Queen is in love.

...

She sends them all a text automatically as she walks through the door to her apartment. It became a habit after the incident when Sara saved her life. She kicks off her heels, twisting the dead bolt locked on her door and setting the alarm without looking. Her first order of business: get out of these contaminated clothes. She hasn't been able to feel the Count's slimy touch since Oliver kissed her, but she's not going to be able to wear this cress ever again without associating it with her kidnapping.

She went from a normal day to terrified to elated in the span of six hours and she doesn't know how much more she can take of this emotional spectrum. It's almost physically painful. She needs comfort and stability. So of course, right after her shower, she grabs her favorite pair of colorful pajama pants. They may be thin, but the colorful silk swirls never fail to capture her attention and the silk just slides delightfully against her skin. She pairs it, as always, with a simple tank top, indulging in a green one and smirking at her personal little joke, but she needs something more to cocoon her in warmth. Her eyes land on a large, lumpy sweater that was her mother's last attempt at knitting. It's not her usual choice. Normally, she went with her large MIT sweatshirt that she practically swam in, but tonight she's drawn to the soft yarn. Her mother wasn't a bad knitter. In fact, the sweater was her most comfortable one without a doubt, not that she would ever tell her mother that. Her mother didn't really need encouragement.

But the sweater is like a warm hug she can sink into. She shoves her feet into a fluffy pair of slippers, shuffling back into the kitchen to make herself a huge mug of hot chocolate with a slew of tiny marshmallows melting into the surface. She settles onto her couch, pulling her legs up under her. It's nights like these that she really doesn't want to be alone as she queues up her Netflix account, automatically opening up the newest Doctor Who episode. She wants someone to wrap their arms around her and just hold her until she falls asleep and forgets all about her kidnapping, but Tommy's in the hospital with Mellie and those two would be her first choices.

Of course, if she allows herself to be honest, she really wants Oliver there because she always feels safe with him. But that's just a whole new can of worms now. She bites her lip as she recalls, in vivid detail, their encounter in the Foundry.

_There was no choice. _

_I will always choose you._

And that kiss. She sighs into the otherwise empty room, sinking further into the couch. She had been kissed before. Felicity Smoak was no virgin. She'd had her fair share of good kisses and bad kisses, but that man...he could knock her off her feet with just that simple kiss. And it hadn't even been a particularly dirty one. She shakes her head at her fluffy-headed memories. Oh, Smoak, you've got it bad and all he's done is kiss you. Another traitorous voice adds: and killed for you.

She stares into her mug, lost in her own thoughts until her phone beeps, the green LED flashing. Exchanging the mug for the phone she finds two new text messages. Diggle confirming that he received the message. The most recent one is from Tommy:

**I heard you had an eventful night. Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow.**

Felicity chuckles wryly. She's going to do a lot of talking tomorrow. As she watches, she gets another text message, this time from Oliver.

**Good. Text me if you need anything.**

She smiles at her phone. There's nothing overtly romantic about it, just Oliver letting her know he's there for her, but it still makes her fuzzy on the inside. It's not as good as a hug, not nearly. She wants warm arms wrapped around her. She's not about to text him that because she's not that needy, she _refuses_ to be that needy. Instead, she finds herself responding automatically:

**I'm fine. Be with your family. **

In the background, Martha and Donna trade stories about the Tenth Doctor like two gossiping ex-girlfriends, but Felicity really hasn't been paying attention to the episode. It's not exactly easy to focus on the mundane after her day.

**I mean it. Anything.**

Even just a hug? If they were in person, she has no doubt the words would have slipped out, but as it is she has to force herself not to type the words. She knows that if she asks, he'll come, but he should spend time with his family and she really needs to get some rest.

She should really just rest her eyes. Still curled in a ball on the couch, she drifts to sleep with her sweater wrapped tightly around her, head pillowed on the arm rest. In the morning she might regret it, but for now she didn't want to be alone in the dark and silence, even if her only company was an episode from Netflix.

...

A warm cup of coffee? Was that too much to ask for? Tommy scowls at his Styrofoam cup as he trudges back up to Mellie's hospital room. The doctors weren't bothered she hadn't woken up yet, they just kept coming by to check her vitals. He could see worry in the nurse's eyes each time they checked her stats. Apparently the other victims were slowly waking up, but Mellie had barely stirred and was still showing signs of withdrawal.

He should go to sleep. Logically it makes sense. They'll wake him up when she comes to as they've told him each time they come in to check on them. He just...he doesn't like the idea of sleeping while her fate is unsure.

The room is dark as he walks back in, the lights dimmed to accommodate the sleeping patients. It takes Tommy a moment to realize the seat he previously sat in is occupied. He pauses a couple step in the doors, reaching for the light switch, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"There's no need for that, son."

He freezes at the cool voice, recognizing it from the years of traumatizing lectures and distant threats. It's a voice he never thought he'd hear again, a voice he couldn't be hearing again because his father was dead. So he flips the light switch, illuminating that familiar face.

"How are you here? You're dead."

"Come on, Tommy. I'm as real as you are." He stands, holding his arms wide as he rises from his chair. "Now, is that how you say hello to your dear old dad?"

Bile rises in his throat as he stares at the man who fathered him. He never really liked his father, but he hadn't realized how despicable the man was until the Undertaking happened. "You killed 500 people, _Dad_, so I'm sorry if I don't jump for joy. You're a _murderer_."

"And so is your friend, Tommy." He narrows his eyes. "And you already know that, don't you. You know Oliver is the Hood."

"He's going by the Arrow now. And he's not killing anymore."

"Is that what he told you? Because he killed a man tonight. And we both kill for a reason: to save this city. The Glades was poisoning our city. It needed to be dealt with."

"You're trying to justify genocide!" Tommy throws his arms towards the window, the window with the spectacular view of the now-decimated Glades. "Hundreds of people died because of what you did. It would have been thousands if Oliver hadn't stopped you."

"Oliver thinks he can save the Glades, but they can't be saved. It's a poison to this city, to _our_ city."

"What do you want, Dad?" Tommy grits his teeth, glaring at his father. "Why did you come back? Wouldn't it be better if you just stayed dead?"

"I came back to reunite our family."

"Dad, you and I were never much of a family, especially now that I know you're a murderer. Now, leave before I call the police." Tommy steps aside and gestures out the door. His father is the last person he would ever want to see. He should have already called the police, or at the very least, Oliver. Maybe if he wasn't so tired he would have realized it as soon as he walked into the room.

"You, me, and your sister, Tommy. I came back so that we could be a family."

Tommy shakes his head. "I don't have a sister. And I _disowned_ you. We're not family."

"Yes, you do, Tommy. You have a sister." He holds his hands out, beseeching. "She's here in the city. We can be a family, a real family again. A father, mother, brother, sister, just like you've always wanted."

"What I've...What _I've_ always wanted? Dad, what I wanted was a father, but you left me to disappear after Mom died. You haven't been my father for a long time." He realizes he's still not reaching for his phone. As much as he hates this crazy man in front of him, he's sure his father could disable any security guards that came his way. From what Oliver said, he's had training.

"And now I have the chance to fix that."

"By dragging some girl and her mother into this?"

"No! They've always been involved. Come with me, Tommy. I'll explain everything. We'll be with your sister and her mother. You'll know everything."

Finally, Tommy reaches for his phone, sifting through the speed-dial for Oliver's number. It rings before Malcolm grabs it and tosses it aside.

"Tommy, I am trying to help you."

"I don't want your help." His father's hand digs into his wrist, definitely going to leave a bruise in the morning, but Tommy stands his ground. He wants absolutely nothing to do with this. "I don't want to be part of your delusional happy family."

He shakes his father's hand off and steps closer to Mellie's hospital bed. He watches Malcolm's face shift from pleading to determined, a stone mask he always thought belonged to the business tycoon but he now knows belongs to the killer.

"Tommy, you _will_ come with me. We _will_ be a family."

"I'm not going with you to help you what? Abduct some girl you've never met?" Spit flies from his mouth at the suggestion because as ridiculous as it is, he has no doubt his father is completely capable of committing this crime.

His father chuckles at the comment. "That's the beauty of this. I've – We've known her her whole life. It won't be hard to convince her. You already love her like a little sister. Now you just know the truth."

Tommy freezes, staring out the window without really seeing as the puzzle pieces fall together. He'd been there after all when their affair had been revealed in court. He knew his father cared for Moira...it's just...Thea? He runs a hand over his jaw. The bristles popping out as he hasn't shaved in over twenty four hours. Thea is his sister. He can't confirm that right now, but the facts line up and his father obviously believes it.

"Even if Thea is your daughter, that doesn't mean she wants you as her father. You're not the man who raised her. You don't just get to magically get a family when you decide you want one. And trust me, she doesn't want you as a father."

"She doesn't know I'm her father. Moira's going to tell her." His smile reveals a made twinkle in his eyes. Tommy feels sick to his stomach, uneasy with his father turning this kind of obsession on the girl who may or may not be his little sister, but is definitely his best friend's little sister. Somehow he doubts Moira will be convinced to turn over her daughter to a murderer.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world." He turns away from his father, squeezing Mellie's hand in an act of selfish comfort.

"You should come with me, son. I've been watching you. You're really growing into your own man and I couldn't be more proud of you. I could train you, work with you. It will be perfect. There's an island in the Caribbean for us. It will be the four of us, together. You can even bring your girlfriend. She seems nice enough."

"Oh, I can, can I?" Tommy laughs humorlessly. "Thank you so much for granting me permission, but I meant it when I said I don't want anything to do with you."

"This isn't a request, Thomas. You can either come willingly or I can take you by force. Obviously I'd prefer the former, but I can work with either option."

He turns to stare at his father. "What did you just say?"

"I guess you're not going to come easily."

Tommy's thumb connects with the nurse help button on Mellie's bed. He glances back around as his father's fist connects with his face, his world going black in an instant.

...

Felicity's first thought is that her alarm should have gone off by now if there's this much sun shining through her window. Her second realization is that she's no longer on the couch, a realization brought on by the heavy comforter over her and the pillow currently collecting her drool. Ew...her drool. God, she hopes she wasn't drooling when she got moved into her bed. Wouldn't that be embarrassing to realize she'd drooled all over Tommy or Oliver?

She opens her eyes, zeroing in on her glasses on her night table right where she usually leaves them. That was nice of them, if a little creepy because she never gave either of them a key, but after being kidnapped last night, she's glad someone was making sure she's safe, provided she can verify it's one of her boys. If not, she's moving.

With her glasses once again perched on her nose, Felicity pads from her room down the hall into her kitchen, mindlessly following her morning routine and going straight for the coffeemaker. She reaches for the power button only to pause when she sees the light already on. She frowns at the brown liquid because there is no way she could have turned that on and forgotten.

"I was wondering when you were going to notice," a deep voice chuckles behind her.

She jerks around, back pressing against the cool counter as she smiles up at Oliver, biting her lip as she remembers what happened last night. "Thank you for putting me to bed...you know, moving me from the couch, not anything else, just tucking me in. And taking my glasses off. That was actually kind of sweet. You're sort of a teddy bear, you know that, Oliver Queen?"

He pushes off the opposite counter and reaches past her to grab a mug from her cabinet. There's not even a space between their bodies. She can feel his breath on her cheek and she somehow forgets how to breathe. By the time she remembers to draw another breath, Oliver is handing her a mug full of coffee, just the way she likes it.

Oliver throws her a smirk as he leans back against the opposite counter. She sips the coffee, made to perfection, his knowledge of her habits sending a warm fuzzy feeling through her chest. It doesn't help that his eyes are skating up her body. She allows herself to do the same over the rim of her coffee mug. She's seen him in suits, casual clothes, green leather, half-dressed, and she's fairly certain he could make _anything_ look good. It's ridiculous how charming and good-looking he is. She can't think when he's directing all that attention back at her. It's distracting.

"We need to talk."

Felicity stares at him for a moment, positive that she just imagined those words, because those are not words she would expect to come out of Oliver Queen's mouth. That is the _last_ thing she would expect him to say. Actually, half of her is still convinced that he's going to turn this around and claim that they can't do this for some stubborn reason she obviously won't agree with because he's wrong, but she'd let him convince her because this thing scares her. What's between them is so much stronger than anything she's ever experienced and she doesn't know how to deal with it outside of the sphere of 'forbidden relationship' that she's relegated them to up until this point. She's still caught on the whole idea that this could never happen because he could never want her in that way...right?

"Felicity." He chuckles around her name, moving forward again. He places her mug on the counter and takes her hands in his, using one of their joined hands to lift her face to his. "Hey. I meant everything I said last night. I will always choose you. You are amazing and beautiful. You put your heart and soul into everything you do and I couldn't do what we do without you. I wouldn't _want _to. Seeing you last night, in danger, at the Count's mercy...it tore me apart. And heaven knows nothing I do or say will stop you from being there however we need you as part of the team – you've proven that time and time again – but I can't go through something like that again without letting you know how I feel."

He laughs breathily at himself, taking another bracing breath, but Felicity is so enamored by his words that she barely notices except to see the truth in his eyes, in his genuine smile, in his demeanor. The meaning in his eyes is enough to tell her everything, but the words are sending her over the edge because she knows she isn't imagining them. He's really talking to her about how he feels...about her. She didn't think they'd ever reach this point.

Oliver drops her hands to cup her cheeks, lowering his head closer to hers until he's invading all her senses and the outside world is just a distant thought. "I think I may be falling in love with you, Felicity Smoak."

Now she really can't remember how to breathe.

"I'm pretty sure it started the first time I walked into your office and you made me smile. And then the more I saw you, the more you pulled me in. I just didn't want to think about what it meant because I didn't want to ruin anything, for us, for the team...And I was trying not to see it because I've never felt like this before. I just want to be around you all the time, to listen to you talk, to watch you, just to see your smile, hear your laughter. I want you to tell me about your day and about the guy in the coffee shop who was a snob. I want to listen to you babble your way through conversations, watch you blush at your own innuendos, and maybe make a few of my own. I don't want to waste any more time."

He runs his thumbs along her cheeks, leaning further forward so there's almost no space between them. "So, Felicity Smoak, what do you say to dinner...with me...tonight? You like Italian, right? Everyone likes Italian."

That startles a laugh from her. "Is this Oliver Queen rambling?"

Closing his eyes as he tries to hold back his smile, he touches his forehead to hers. His eyes fly open and he smirks at her. "Well, I guess it's contagious."

"You could probably get away unscathed now. It'll only get worse."

"Why would I want to get away?" He asks before he closes the last stretch of distance, pressing his lips to hers once more.

A sigh escapes her. Felicity rises onto her tip toes, pressing closer and fisting his t-shirt into her hands to pull him down, feeling the counter press more firmly into her back. The kiss deepens and Felicity loses herself in it. They finally part for breath, both breathing hard from the encounter.

"Yes," she whispers as she remembers the question. She smiles at his confusion. "Italian. Yes, I like Italian."

...

When he comes to, he realizes it's warm. He doesn't know why, but he thought it would be cold. No, that's not true. The memories of what happen come to him first along with the aching pain in his jaw where his father's fist made contact. He thought it would be cold because usually kidnappers don't take you somewhere cozy. And yes, he is relegating his father into the kidnapper category because that's exactly what his father did. He's a crazy, homicidal murderer.

He opens his eyes to a dark blue bedroom, fully furnished with bright fluorescent lights above. The door stands right in his line of sight, closed and probably locked, but otherwise, he's free to move around. Considering that last time he was kidnapped, Oliver ended up killing everyone while he was strapped to a chair...let's just say that's not an experience he wants to repeat.

With a groan, Tommy pushes himself into a seat position. His head throbs in a headache, but it doesn't hold a candle to one of his legendary hangovers. At least this one doesn't make the room spin.

He gets a better look at the room and frowns. The comforter, the pillows, the pictures, the furniture...Tommy walk over and pulls open a drawer, scowling at what he finds inside. This room is a perfect replica of his room in the apartment with one exception: there are no windows. It's a concrete box decorated to look comfortable. It's like his father turned into a crazy stalker and moved his whole room here...where ever here is.

God. He hopes someone's looking for him. He called Oliver. Even if the call didn't go through, that should be enough for them to figure out something's wrong. And Felicity wouldn't give up on him, not matter what. She's the kind of friend you want in your corner when you're lost or kidnapped as the case may be.

Tommy reaches for the door handle and sure enough, it's locked. He falls back onto the bed, sighing. Now if only he had a tennis ball to bounce off the wall...

...

"Have you talked to Tommy today?" Thea demands as she walks up to the bar.

Felicity glances up from her tablet, eyes wide in surprise. She frowns glancing at her watch. "No." Which, now that she thinks about it, is beyond weird. Usually she's talked to him by now. She hadn't thought much about it because she'd been preoccupied with the whole talking to Oliver thing. She texted him about how Mellie was doing about an hour ago, but she hadn't heard back. She had assumed it was because he was finally sleeping. "Let me try calling him again."

Thea nods as Felicity fumbles her phone, punching the number 3 speed dial so his picture illuminates her screen with its cocky smile. She puts the phone on speaker, placing it on speaker between her and Thea. It goes straight to voicemail and her hand pauses over her tablet. She knew he never let the phone die.

"Hey, Tommy. I'm just checking in on you because you never responded to my text. You better know that I am never going to let you live this down. I'm going to make sure you have a charger on you at all times. Thea and I are getting worried. Just so you know, we're totally going to kick your ass when we find you." She hangs up and immediately starts shoving things into her bag.

"What are you doing?" Thea asks, frowning her frantic actions.

Felicity lifts her eyes to meet Thea's. "Tommy was staying in the hospital with Mellie. So let's go check in on them."

"Are you sure we should?"

Felicity barks out a laugh, leading the way to the car. "Please, they will welcome me with open arms once they hear what I have to say. Plus, Mellie is my best friend. She'll always be happy to see me." She turns to the reluctant girl staring at her as she pulls her car door open. "Are you coming or not?"

Thea nods, sliding into the passenger seat. Felicity can feel Thea assessing her from the other side of the car. It's a weird situation for her because how can do you bring up that you're going on a date with the girl next to you? It feels like something hanging over her head because she wants to bring it up, she really does. But that's not something she can just blurt out into the car because that would be weird. Of course, that's usually how she handles most things.

"What's on your mind?"

Felicity starts at Thea's voice, shifting the car into park in the hospital parking lot. "What?"

"I've never seen you go this long without talking."

She closes her eyes. Thea's got a point. She doesn't really do silence for extended periods of time. It's almost painful for her to even contemplate. It only happens when she's stressed. Not that she's stressed right now. She's practically dancing on clouds, jittery but still nervous about the date. Date. It's so bizarre. She has a date _tonight_ with Oliver. Her whole world is being slowly turned upside down in the best possible way.

"Oh. My. GOD! He finally did it!" Thea squeals. Felicity jumps in her seat, clutching her bag to her chest in complete shock and surprise. "He finally asked you out?! This is so great!" Thea throws her arms around Felicity, rocking back and forth with happiness.

"Um..." Felicity awkwardly flaps her hand to pat Thea on the back. "I...uh...what?"

"You and Oliver! This is so great! Just wait until Tommy hears! He's going to be so thrilled. Let's go talk to him. This is so amazing!"

Before she can blink, Thea is already outside of the car, bouncing on the balls of her feet with a grin larger than Texas spread across her face. Felicity slowly shifts out of the car, wary of the ball of energy that is Thea Queen at the moment. As soon as she's standing, Thea grabs her hand and pulls her toward the hospital doors, practically skipping. Felicity barely has time to slam her door shut and lock it before they disappear through the doors. By then, Felicity takes the lead, having already hacked the hospital records to find Mellie's current room.

"So..." Thea bounces on the balls of her feet, biting her lip at an unsuccessful attempt to remain calm. "How'd it happen? What happened? When are you going out?"

"Thea." She hates the pained whine in her voice. "It's...um...something...there was a thing at QC...and he kissed me last night. And then this morning he made me coffee and we talked and we have a date tonight. We're getting Italian." She takes a deep breath. She hadn't expected all that to come out, but it happened just like it usually does.

"That's why he left the sentencing..." Thea stares at her with wide eyes. "That thing with the drug dealer. You were there."

Felicity sighs as she leads the way out of the elevator. Yeah, this was confusing what with the cover story and everything. "Yeah, he kidnapped me to get Oliver to stop making the antidote. The vigilante took him down. Oliver just wanted to make sure I was okay."

"I'm sure he did," Thea chuckles as they walk down the hall. "And that would explain where Ollie disappeared to this morning."

Felicity pauses outside the door, biting her lip as she remembers what Oliver did for her this morning. Thea almost starts squealing again at her expression, but she reigns it in. Felicity pushes through the door into the hospital room, pausing when her eyes don't land immediately on Tommy. He wouldn't want to leave Mellie's side.

"Where's Tommy?" Thea appears to be having the same thoughts, but Felicity already has her phone pulled from her pocket.

She walks across the room to pick Tommy's cracked phone up from the floor, her phone already calling Oliver's cell. There's no other indication of a struggle, but Tommy would never willingly leave Mellie's side without having his phone within reach. She lifts her phone to her ear and Oliver picks up on the first ring.

"Hey."

"Tommy's missing." She doesn't waste time with the formalities. This doesn't feel right. Nothing about this feels right.

"What?"

"I've got his phone. It's cracked and he's not here with Mellie." She turns back to the room. Thea frowns at her and she grimaces internally. "Thea and I are here, but he's nowhere to be seen."

"Any other signs of a struggle?" He's already shifted into Arrow mode.

"No. I have to check on Mellie, but I have all my stuff on me. I can go through everything here."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay." She hangs up and moves to the chair next to the bed, already pulling her tablet from her bag. She's already in the hospital's system so it shouldn't be too hard to get the video footage.

"Who was that?" Thea frowns at her, crossing her arms. "I know it looks suspicious, but why do you think Tommy was kidnapped?"

Felicity opens her mouth with no idea of crazy lie is going to erupt from her mouth.

"He was kidnapped." Mellie's voice, drugged and sluggish, comes from the bed. Her eyes flutter open, going directly to Felicity's. "There was another man here, said he was Tommy's father."

Felicity freezes in her tracks. "Malcom Merlyn is dead." She knows that for sure.

Mellie snorts. "Yeah, well, Tommy said the same thing."

"You heard their conversation." Felicity scoots closer to the bed.

"Yeah, and they thought I was asleep, but I heard most of it."

Felicity watches her friend carefully. There's something in her eyes that worries her. Mellie is assessing her. She doesn't know what Mellie overheard, but it's causing her friend to look at her with new eyes and she's not sure how she feels about this development.

"Can one of you get me some water?" Mellie asks with a smile, turning to Thea. Thea nods, taking the hint and leaves the room. Mellie turns back to Felicity, looking her in the eye with directness Felicity has only seen a few times. "You're working with the vigilante, aren't you?"

Felicity scrambles for a lie, but Mellie shakes her head.

"Don't bother. I already know the answer. It makes sense. That's how you know Oliver. And before you start babbling, I know Oliver's the Hood or Arrow or whatever, which now makes so much sense."

"Why didn't you call someone when Tommy was kidnapped?"

"I think he drugged me. Malcolm, not Tommy. I could hear, but I couldn't move and then I fell asleep again." Mellie pushes herself up into a seated position and gestures between Felicity and her tablet. "You should probably start doing your thing before Oliver gets here."

Felicity drags her eyes from her friend, tapping into the surveillance footage with a couple taps, and sending the orders to her Foundry computers to run a facial recognition program. She drops the tablet on the bed as she finishes. "Tell me what else you heard."

Mellie's eyes widen. "Seriously? You're done?"

"If he was caught on camera, the program will find him."

"I knew you were good, Smoak, but I didn't think you were that good."

Thea walks back in the room, cup of water in her hands. "So, did you call the police, yet? They need to start looking for Tommy now."

"I was waiting for you to come back. I'll make the call now," Felicity stands, leaving the room as her phone dials Quentin Lance.

"What is it, Miss Smoak?" His voice sounds as grumpy as always.

"Tommy Merlyn has been kidnapped from Starling General."

"Kidnapped?" He asks gruffly. "I'm assuming the Arrow is already on it."

The elevator opens and Oliver and Digg come storming down the hallway. Oliver's eyes lock directly on hers and she can see the worry there. "Yeah, he's on the job. Thea's worried about Tommy though and I can't exactly tell her the Arrow is on it."

"I'll head down and ask some questions, just to make it official."

"Thank you, Detective." Oliver reaches her and one hand lifts to cup her cheek. She leans into his touch.

"It's Officer, Smoak."

"Not to me, Detective. I'll see you in a little while." She takes a deep breath and hangs up, meeting Oliver's eyes in trepidation for what she needs to do next.

"How are you?" He asks quietly.

"I'm fine, Oliver, but...Mellie heard it happen. She knows about you." She takes a deep breath. "She knows who took Tommy. And she's sure even though it seems impossible..."

"Who?"

She closes her eyes, wishing she didn't have to tell him this because he knows it just might kill him to know the truth. He'll relive the Undertaking all over again. He stabbed himself with an arrow to kill Malcolm. This wasn't going to be easy. He shifts in front of her, sensing her uneasiness.

"Just tell me," he says softly, encouragingly. Both his hands move to cup her face and her eyes open to meet his blue ones as she braces herself to say the words that will shake his world:

"Malcolm Merlyn is alive."


	15. When the Dead Rise

**When the Dead Rise**

"Malcolm Merlyn is alive. He kidnapped Tommy." Felicity watches Oliver's face for the impending reaction.

His whole body tenses, his fingers pressing into her cheeks a little more. He moves to drop his hands, but she reaches up and holds them in place, securing them, acting as an anchor. She knows this hurts him, this new information that makes him feel like he failed all over again because some bad guy he thought was dead can no go hurt someone else. His eyes close and she feels him drifting away from her, but she refuses to let him go this time.

"Look at me, Oliver." She squeezes his wrists gently enough to get his attention. "_Look at me_."

His blue eyes snap to hers, pain writhing in their depths as he slowly shuts himself off.

"Don't focus on the bad stuff. Okay, Malcolm is alive, but we know who took Tommy and that makes finding him a hell of a lot easier. Plus, that's one less person to add to your body count, but we have a job to do. We have to find Tommy first. We can take this one step at a time."

She runs her thumbs along the inside of his wrists in circles to calm him down until she feels the muscles unclench under her hands, his shoulders relaxing. He leans forward, forehead resting against hers as he breathes the same air as her, thumbs unconsciously mirroring her motions, sweeping over her cheeks before running one over her lower lip.

Felicity's having trouble thinking now that all his attention is focused on her. His eyes are boring into hers, their intensity enough to make her forget everything. He nods slowly.

"Okay, let's find Tommy," he whispers to her.

"I already set the program to search camera footage. I didn't have enough of a chance to check for tampering, plus my tablet isn't the ideal computer to work from. I need to get back to the foundry, but I can't right now because I'm here with someone's little sister and my best friend. Oh, and my best friend knows your secret because she heard them talking and she now knows I work with you which really wasn't that much of a leap I guess and she's not dumb. She probably would have picked it up eventually. She spends too much time around us not to notice."

Oliver chuckles and places a light kiss on her lips, startling the words from her brain and leaving it deliciously erased.

She smiles back up at him. "What was that for?"

"You were babbling and we need to get to work. You need to get to the foundry?" He moves his head slightly back to stare into her eyes. His hand maintains contact with her cheek, caressing it almost as more a comfort to himself than to her.

"It would be better," she admits. "But I don't want to leave Mellie here." She bites her lip. Her friend shouldn't be alone in the hospital surrounded by strangers.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'm being discharged." Mellie crosses her arms as she faces them, bare feet and a wrinkled skirt and blouse, heels dangling from one hand. "We have work to do so you two can stop staring at each other and get moving to your secret lair or whatever." She pads past them, walking straight to the nursing station to sign some papers.

Felicity looks past him, eyes meeting John's amused smile. He waggles his eyebrows at them before turning away and pressing the elevator button, humming a tuneless melody under his breath, one that sounds suspiciously like "Kiss the Girl" from _The Little Mermaid_. Her suspicion is confirmed when Thea chuckles.

"I like him," Thea says as she saunters past them, patting her brother on the chest twice. She rises on her toes to press a kiss to her brother's cheek. "I'm happy for the two of you. It's about damn time. Now should we wait here for the police, right?"

"No. I can get them to meet us at Verdant." Felicity already has her phone extracted, texting Lance as she does. Oliver's hand on the small of her back guides her along so she doesn't stumble. He has her bag in his other hand and she doesn't know where he got it from because she hasn't left his side and she knows she left it next to the hospital bed.

Mellie joins them in the elevator, still barefoot. "So, where are we going?"

"The club." Thea answers, with a disapproving frown. "Apparently the police can meet us there. Although it would probably be better if they just took you home. I mean, you just got out of the hospital for heaven's sake."

"No. The club is fine. I'm sure Felicity has some extra clothes there I can borrow."

Oh, she's not sure she likes this side of Mellie. Felicity sighs, leaning into Oliver's side for a moment. Their little family is growing larger and she's not sure how on board with this Mellie is. She at least wants Oliver to help bring Tommy back and she wants it now. She's seen her friend like this before, back in college when she found out her boyfriend hadn't told her about his study group, one with a girl she felt threatened by. The outcome hadn't been pretty. It was a nasty break up, but in her defense, it turned out her boyfriend was cheating on her. Felicity needs to get ahead of this.

"Thea, why don't you go with Oliver and John. I'll drive Mellie."

Mellie nods, leading the way out of the elevator. Felicity twists to face the rest. "We'll meet you there."

She smiles at Oliver's frown, squeezing his hand in reassurance before turning away and linking her arm through Mellie's. Felicity waits until she's started the car to talk.

"Look, Mellie, Thea doesn't know about this whole thing and I need you not to tell her. There's a reason we didn't tell you..."

"You know what? I'm not even going to try to pretend that I get it because I don't. I don't understand risking your lives and going around the law. I don't, but it's your life, whatever. Just bring Tommy home safe."

Felicity glances sideways as her friend's voice cracks. "Really? You're not going to call the police on us or anything?" Not that she thinks her friend wants to rat them out, get them all sent to jail and everything. She just knows how much stock Mellie puts in the government. Felicity would probably trust them more if she didn't hack into their databases on a regular basis.

Mellie shifts uncomfortably next to her, but her eyes are set in cold determination. "Like I said: Just bring him home."

...

The room only seems to be missing the technology ever-present in his life, especially since Felicity became such an integral part of his life. Granted, he's always had the giant flat screen TV, but she'd done something to connect it to Wi-Fi via the bluray player or something tech-y like that. He didn't understand all the big words she used half the time. However, he knows the same technology could have led Felicity straight to him. If it connected to the internet, Felicity could hack it. It was surprisingly thoughtful of his father to remove all his possible internet connections.

His stomach growls loudly in the otherwise silent room. With no idea how long he slept and no windows, he decides to wander the room. There are two doors besides the locked main entrance, one leads to a closet, once again meticulously ordered to mirror his own and he finds himself astonished as he realizes just how much Mellie has infiltrated his life, simply by the lack of her personal clothing in his space. She hadn't by any means moved in with him, she was still technically looking for her own place, but he had left her shelf space and drawers so she wasn't living out of her suitcase. And suddenly it was an awful lot like they were living together, sharing everything. Seeing her presence removed here disconcerts him further, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

The other door leads to a bathroom, the only room to shatter the illusion that he's at home. The absence of technology he could overlook, Mellie's things missing wasn't something anyone else would likely realize, but the bathroom is all concrete with a white porcelain toilet and sink. There wasn't even a shower or a mirror. A colorful toothbrush stands out as the only speck of color in an otherwise barren room.

Tommy leans over the sink, splashing cold water on his face in place of a hot mug of coffee, feeling slightly off-kilter for not knowing the time. He's locked in a room, kidnapped by his own father. He has no obligations to fulfill, no work that needs to be done, but neither is he free to do what he wants. He almost wishes he kept books in his room to give him something to pass the time...almost.

He starts sifting through the room, just to waste time searching for hidden cameras or bugs among the pieces of furniture and secured on the wall. He checks under tables, between the wall and various fixtures, even under the lampshades.

"There's nothing there."

Tommy spins from the dresser drawer to face his father in the open doorway. Beyond him, the hallway is carpeted and Tommy swears he can see actual sunlight patterned there. He straightens to face his father head-on.

"Where are we?"

"Don't worry. We're still in Starling." Malcolm saunters into the room, hands shoved into the pockets of his dress pants. He's the picture of patience and respectability. You wouldn't pick him out of a line-up as a mass murderer unless you knew it was him. "We have to wait for Thea and Moira to join us before we leave."

"And if they don't want to come? Will you kidnap them too?" Okay, maybe it's not the best idea to antagonize the murderer in the room, but Tommy can spot the flaw in his plan from a mile away. There is no way Thea will simply go along with this, no way in hell. He's known that girl all her life. She's been like a sister to him since she was born. It just turns out that she might actually be her sister.

"They will see the necessity of this. We are family, after all."

Tommy shakes his head. "And I grew up with Thea. I saw her reaction to Moira announcing the Undertaking. She was _disgusted_. How do you think she'll react to knowing the man who planned the murder of _thousands_ of innocent lives is still alive and also _her father_?"

The calm washes away from his father's face, once again revealing the murderer underneath. "Both you and your sister will learn why I had to do what I did. You'll understand." He stalks closer to Tommy, but he holds his ground, not about to display weakness to a madman who thrives on control. "I've been watching you, Tommy. You've always been more your mother's son than mine, but these last months, I've seen more steel and determination in you that reminds me of me."

Tommy scowls at the idea. It sickens him that his father would take credit for that when credit so obviously belongs elsewhere, mainly with a babbling little blonde. And Felicity would claim it had all been in him all along. To him it was simple: it was just hard to stay an idle playboy when everyone around him did so much and made such a difference in the world. Literally none of it is his father's doing. He wanted to do something for himself, to leave some sort of mark on the world.

Malcolm pats him on the shoulder with a wide smile. "Just wait until your sister and Moira get here. You'll see I'm right."

With that, he turns on his heel, shutting the door behind him. For a split second, he contemplates making a break for it, but this man isn't the father he's familiar with. The father he knew his whole life was cold and distant, but not brutal enough to murder. It turns out his father really was a murderer all along, he just didn't know it.

...

"Where are we going?" Mellie demands as she follows Felicity back to the padlocked door behind the bar. Suddenly she stops and starts laughing. "And suddenly it all makes sense."

Felicity pauses, biting her lip. "Maybe you should stay up here, Mellie. I'll let you know when I find something." She sighs as she recognizes her friend's responding stance, arms crossed over her chest, feet spread apart. "It's just that it will probably take a while. I mean, we didn't even know Malcolm was alive until you said something. We weren't really looking for him before, but my computer hasn't already found something, but don't worry: if it's electronic I can find it. We did break into the Merlyn Global mainframe. That was actually kind of fun...except for the terrified-of-heights, almost-getting-caught-by-security parts."

"You broke into Merlyn Global?"

She pauses in punching in the access code, then shrugs and pushes open the door. "It was a thing. Either that or let the Glades go down due to a giant earthquake machine. And it turns out there were two machines so we only saved half the Glades, but we wouldn't have saved any if we hadn't gotten into the mainframe. So there's that..."

She doesn't have to turn around to know that Mellie's stopped behind her on the stairs. She smiles to herself, knowing what an impressive picture the lair creates when the overhead lights come on and you first catch a glimpse of the shiny metal tables, and the new, fresh-from-the-factories computers. She almost wishes she could see it again for the first time, when she could be impressed by the technology because it was pathetically underwhelming when she was first let down here.

Felicity drops her purse on her desk, sliding into her chair and pulling up all her searches with a couple quick taps on her keyboard. None of them have turned up anything and it doesn't look like anyone's been insides the hospital computers, other than her of course. Then again, the hospital doesn't exactly have airtight security. She's sure he could have found some blind spots. League members are trained for that sort of thing, right?

"This...this is where you work?"

She smirks at the awe in Mellie's voice. Her friend may not be the tech genius that she is, but she knows an impressive set up when she sees one. "Welcome to our lair."

"It's not a lair," Oliver disagrees as he hurries down the steps.

"It kind of is," Digg states, shrugging helplessly against Oliver's look.

"We're not calling it that."

Felicity snorts. "Too late."

He comes up to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder as he leans forward to examine the screens in front of her, bringing himself closer to her with his actions. "Nothing?"

She shakes her head. "He avoided the cameras and there are none pointed straight at the room. It's possible he avoided them all. No one else has hacked the system."

Oliver sighs, giving her shoulder another squeeze. "Okay." He turns around to face Mellie. "I need you to tell me everything you remember them talking about. Any of it could hold a clue."

"Where's Thea?"

Felicity pauses at the question, spinning to face the rest of the room as she realizes the validity of the question. Of course! Thea went with Oliver and Diggle, so where did she disappear to? Wow. She's so oblivious sometimes. How could she have missed that?

"She's making arrangements in the club upstairs. I told her we were going to get coffee down the street." Oliver sighs, leaning back against one of the metal tables. In fact, it's the same med table he flat-lined on the night she found out he was the Hood.

"Really? Coffee?" Felicity asks, mind immediately flashing back to their first meeting and the bullet-riddled laptop. One glance at Oliver's genuine half-smile is enough to tell her he's thinking about the same incident.

"It was the first thing that came to mind."

Mellie shakes her head. "You're awful liars. Both of you. It's a wonder I didn't put it together sooner. I just thought you were sleeping together and didn't want people to know." She steps forward and points to the salmon ladder. "What's that?"

A gift from the Gods, Felicity thinks, smiling up at the device.

Digg chuckles and she winces as she realizes she spoke out loud. Again. Damn. She really needs to get a handle on that. Oliver shakes his head, but his heated eyes are fixed on her and Felicity feels the burn of a blush in her cheeks.

"Let's get back to the issue at hand. What did you hear, Mellie?"

She nods, taking a deep breath. "Tommy's dad...he was excited about having his family again."

"You mean Tommy?" Diggle asks, brows furrowed as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Not just Tommy. He kept talking about a half-sister and her mother." Mellie shifts uneasily, eyes darting to Oliver, but her eyes zero back in on Felicity before she continues. "He wanted them to all be together. Tommy refused so he kidnapped him. He's going to kidnap them all if need be."

"Okay. Did he say any names? Anyone we would track down." Her hands hover over the keyboard ready to type as soon as she hears the name.

"I'm pretty sure you won't even need your computers. According to Malcolm, Thea is his daughter."

...

To amuse himself, Tommy contemplates the different daring escapes from his favorite movies, changing each to suit his situation. It's a morose way to pass the time, but he's at least established that tying the sheets and blankets together to make a rope will not be advantageous to him in any way. In fact, any escape seems ineffective.

He flops back on the bed. He's heard the horrible stories from Oliver about what his father could do. He doesn't stand a chance against that man. He can barely hit a punching bag on his best days. He's never won a bar fight, never even really stood a chance, if he's being truly honest. He's stumbled around drunk, swinging and getting in a lucky shot or two, but he was never one for working out and fighting. Not to say he didn't get angry, because he could have quite the temper, but he would never stand a chance against his father, so a physical fight was not the way out.

His mind runs instead to Thea, thinking about them growing up together. It was true: he's spent most of his life with her and Oliver, basically growing up in their home after his mother's death. He'd seen the signs that there was something between Moira and his father, but he never dreamed it was anything more than a deep friendship, he'd never even entertained the idea. There were times he had seen some of himself in her: when she got that glint in her eye after an elaborate plan popped into her mind; when she smirked with that almost-inherent cockiness that comes with knowing you're going to get your way; when she yelled and screamed about being her own person and making her own decisions.

It seems so perfectly obvious in hindsight. Maybe that's why Moira was always so happy to have him over, to let him stay. He doesn't think she loves his father. He's seen her with Robert and Walter: he knows how she vows to protect those she loves. She might have felt that for Malcolm once, but she definitely doesn't feel it now. He sighs into the empty room. Moira is not going to give Thea up to a madman and he hates to think what his father will do once he realizes that truth.

They better find him soon.

...

Felicity freezes, wide eyes landing back on Oliver at the revelation. He pushes off the desk and walks to the computers. "Felicity, can you-"

"Already on it," she agrees, fingers flying. Sometimes she thinks they blur a little as she hacks, or maybe it just happens when she's overtired or hyped up on caffeine. Focus, Felicity. Back on task.

It takes her moments to look into Moira. She'd started weeks ago, looking for anything that pertained to the Undertaking or worked as possible evidence. And then the affair had come to light, which was naturally where her search was starting. Donner had found evidence of it, so there was obviously more proof out there.

The story unfurls under her fingers, the careful façade unraveled like pulling at the untied string of a freshly knit scarf. And Felicity would know. She's had to unravel her fair share of tangled, wannabe scarves. With her propensity for illegal activities, she can find more than Donner easily. Her findings on the Queen Consolidated server still her fingers.

Oliver's hand squeezes her shoulder as he recognizes a shift in her, turning his focus from Mellie to her. "What is it?"

She stares at the paternity test displayed openly on the screen, opening and closing her mouth unable to speak so she settles for pointing.

His gaze follows her finger to the screen, frowning. "My mother got a paternity test?" He stills as he reads the word _negative_.

"Not your mother," she corrects, her voice strangled as she backs up her search. "Your father. When Thea was four. I found it on the QC mainframe with his old files." She falls back against the seat and glances sideways at Oliver. "This says, he's not biologically related to her."

Oliver pales, looking like he's about to pass out. His hand wraps around the metal desk, knuckles white with his grip. Felicity quickly stands to offer him a chair. It's a sign of his shock that he lets her simply lower him into the seat. He runs a hand over his jaw as he continues to stare at the test results.

"He knew?"

Felicity nods, squeezing his hand. "It looks like it."

"He knew and he never said anything?" She lets him ask the question, knowing he's not looking for an answer, merely wondering at his father's decisions. "He loved Thea. She was a total Daddy's girl her whole life. He loved her. They would spend hours talking. She would always get whatever she wanted from him. Dad could never say no to her. And he knew the whole time. He knew she wasn't his daughter..."

His wide blue eyes rose to hers, his fingers interlocked behind his neck. He looks lost as he stares at her. Felicity's heart breaks at the confusion and sorrow in his eyes. She reaches out, slowly pulling his arms so his break grips and she takes his hands in hers.

"Hey, DNA doesn't determine family. Your father chose to be there for Thea, even though she didn't have half his DNA. My father didn't even bother to do that. He left when I was seven and he never looked back. Your father was there for both of your childhoods and that's all the more significant because he had proof that he didn't have to. He made a choice. Malcolm might be her father, but Robert Queen was her dad. And no test can take that away. Your father was a good man, just like you."

Oliver chuckles quietly, twisting their joined hands to press a light kiss to her inner wrist. "How do you always know what to say?"

She bites her lip. "You're forgetting that most of the time I say random, inappropriate things."

"It's one of my favorite things."

"And now, can we focus on finding Tommy? I'm happy that the two of you are together and all, but we have work to do." Felicity grimaces guiltily at Mellie. She had totally forgotten she was here.

"Just be thankful you weren't down here the last couple months. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife." Digg smirks in response to Felicity's glare, refusing to negate the statement.

"Right. Back to work." She takes her chair back gratefully from Oliver and slides up to the computer. "Let me see if I can find anything through Merlyn Global properties and subsidiaries. He has to be staying somewhere. Maybe there's some property there we can check..."

Felicity dives into her world of electronics, of credit card trails and bank statements. It drags her in, leading her on the roundabout path through a maze of information, most of it new and not particularly useful. The world becomes her computer screens. She can hear sound in the background, but it's a buzzing that fades into nothingness as she works. Dimly, in the far back of her mind, she recognizes the metal clang of the salmon ladder.

"Aha!" She fist pumps the air, pushing back from the table as she stares at the screens. "I've got it."

Oliver drops to the ground by the salmon ladder, covered in a thin sheen of sweat as he joins her. Mellie and John gather closer as well.

"I found them! He used Sagittarius," she exclaims, meeting Oliver's eyes in her excitement. He smirks.

"The same company he used to buy his arrows."

She nods, beaming at him, because she honestly wasn't sure if he remembered that. "Exactly. Sagittarius purchased a building on Appleton Street. Then spent a considerable amount refurbishing it. Dollars to donuts, that's where Malcolm took Tommy." Felicity smiles triumphantly. Oliver's eyes stare back at her with a pride that sends a jolt of some emotion she doesn't want to examine too much right now to her gut.

"Time to head out then." Oliver squeezes her hand before moving to grab his hood from its display case.

Felicity nods, pulling up the comms on the computer. "Grab a seat, Mel." She gestures back at Oliver's chair in front of his work station, where he spends his time making arrowheads.

"We're not going with them?" She points at the back of the room where Oliver just disappeared.

"Nope." Felicity shakes her head, already pulling up the camera's nearest to the building in one screen. The second screen holds her map of the city, Digg and Oliver's green dots blinking in the foundry and the third is her standard litany of police radio traffic with their comms link in the corner. "Welcome to Command Central. This is where the magic happens."

Mellie stares at her with wide eyes. "You know, you kind of sound like an evil genius."

"I agree with the genius part," Oliver whispers behind them, causing an unprepared Mellie to jump a foot in the air.

Felicity laughs softly to herself, proud of the fact that she wasn't startled this time. "You better get going," she says, staring up at him. "The sooner we get Tommy home..."

"The better," he agrees. "Do you mind keeping an eye on Thea too?"

With a single click, the Verdant camera feeds appear on the middle computer. "Already on it."

"Thank you." He leaves her with a peck on the cheek and then he and Digg are gone.

Mellie turns from the stairs back to her, eyes wide. "Damn girl! How were you not drooling all over him eons ago? I nearly passed out when I saw him doing the ladder thing!"

"Yeah, that's pretty great, isn't it?" Felicity lifts her eyes to the aforementioned apparatus.

"This would probably be a good time to inform you, that we can hear everything you say," Digg points out over the comms, Oliser's laughter following the comment.

Mellie turns bright red at the voice, her mouth falling open in horror.

Felicity simply smiles. "Oh, I know." And all three of them know she has a blatant appreciation for Oliver's form on the salmon ladder. It's not like it's a well-kept secret. Besides she's kind of hoping to get her own, personal demonstration at some point in the future.

Mellie choking is her first indication that her musings were not solely in her head and Felicity winces, cheeks starting to burn. "Oops."

...

It turns out the rest of the building isn't an exact replica of his apartment Tommy discovers. No, in fact, the hallway his bedroom opens to leads directly to a dining room and kitchen that look like a bizarre combination of the ones in Merlyn Manor. The table is solid mahogany and far too elegant for the space. There are lots of deep reds and plenty of black stone in the kitchen, but the kitchen for all the decadence is pristine, the smell of mouth-watering Italian food coming from the white Styrofoam take-out boxes on the counter and the two plates already placed at the table.

Malcolm gestures grandly to a chair. "Come on, son. Let's eat."

Tommy chooses the seat with his back to the shaded window, allowing him a view of the rest of the apartment from his seat. He notices two other doors in the same hallway with his room, two doors that he assumes also lead to bedrooms. Once more he notes the suspicious lack of technology. There's nothing here he could use to contact Team Arrow.

He is surprised however to find himself with a sharp knife, until he realizes what his father's doing. It's a test, to see what he will do with the knife. So as much as he wants to fling it at his father, he knows such an action would be useless. Instead he uses it to cut into his chicken parm and calmly asks:

"What's your plan now, Dad? Are you going to keep me locked up in here for the rest of your life?"

He tries to ignore the unsettled sinking in his stomach at his father's responding smile.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tommy. I'm not going to lock you up. I'm doing this now for your own safety. I'm a man with many enemies. This is to protect you until I can train you to defend yourself." He cuts into his own food. "You see, Tommy, when I left for those two years, I found myself in a place called Nanda Parbat. There I learned the art of killing from the League of Assassins." Malcolm leans forward, fire in his eyes fed by the passion in his soul. "I'll teach you everything I learned and you'll finally understand why I had to do what I did."

He's never going to understand, no matter what his father thinks. Tommy can see the madness that has infected the man across the table from him, it's reflected in his eyes. Was it always there all along, Tommy wonders, something small lurking always beneath the surface?

"You're going to teach me to kill?"

"No!" Malcolm drops his fork on his plate with a metal clang. He points emphatically. "I'm going to teach you to defend yourself."

He doesn't bother asking what will happen if he doesn't want to learn. He can see there's no use arguing with the man before him. Tommy slowly chews another bite, contemplating his next move. "When are Thea and Moira coming?" If they come. He's fairly certain they won't. Moira will find a way out of this arrangement to protect her daughter. That's what she did best: she protected her children.

"Tonight." A smile blooms on his father's face as his eyes take on a far-away quality.

Tommy swallows thickly, praying to every deity he can think of. Oliver better get here soon or everything was going to go downhill quickly. Where was the city's hero when you needed him?


End file.
